Out of Reach
by CianieMoo
Summary: Diana's suffering an emotional breakdown because of the last few months. Her homeland is destroyed, and now Clark, her one and true love, is getting married to Lois Lane. For months she's wanted to tell him how she felt about him, but now it's too late. Or is it?
1. Devestating News

Finally I've had time to post this. Sorry it's taken me so long. I've had to deal with...issues in the family. I hope you enjoy the first chapter!

* * *

"Lois and I are getting married."

Donna gasped while Diana clenched the table so hard it cracked under her grip. Forcing a smile, she said, "Oh, that's wonderful news, Kal. I'm so happy for you."

Shayera knew that was a lie. "We all are, Clark. When did you propose?"

"I propose to her last night, and she said yes. We're planning on getting married by the end of this month."

Diana tried her best to keep her jaw from trembling as she felt hot tears sting her eyes. Underneath the table she felt Donna squeeze her hand in comfort while Shayera placed a hand on her leg.

Months had passed since Donna was rediscovered, as well as the knowledge of the Amazon sisters' status of the daughters of Zeus. Both had developed in powers since then: In addition to superhearing, Diana also had strength and speed that rivaled Clark and Flash respectively, and superbreath, also like Clark. She found the last one out by sneezing during a dust storm during a mission. It took hours to get Donna out of the ice.

Donna was finally showing new powers as well she had weaker versions of Diana's powers, but still harbored jealously from Diana being stronger of her. But with each passing day, that jealously dwindled down to nearly nothing.

Clark turned to Diana, suddenly feeling nervous. "Di, I want you and Donna to come to the wedding. I know it may be a little difficult for you, but please come, even if for a moment."

For a fleeting moment Diana thought he said that because of his feelings for her, but realized it wasn't. He didn't love her the way she knew she did him. Over the months, she had to listen how he'd met Lois Lane at his job at the Daily Planet and started dating, and afterwards she would always go to the training room for hours on end. Donna and Shayera noticed this pattern but could not stop her. She was doing everything on her own.

That wasn't it, either—the sisters' mother, Hippolyta, was finally caught by Hera a week prior. She had done the cruelest joke ever to Diana: She turned Hippolyta into clay, mimicking the legend of how Diana was born. Even the Amazons weren't left out and turned to snakes.

Yet she never showed a single tear. While Donna cried herself to sleep for a couple of nights, Diana just had an emotionless expression on her face, locking her feelings away behind a stoic wall. She had to be strong for Donna, she kept telling herself. She knew how it felt to see an elder loved one cry and only be able to hold them. It made her feel completely helpless, and she didn't want Donna feeling the same way.

"Of course Donna and I can come," Diana said. "And it won't be for just a moment. I want to see you on your happiest day, Kal. I want to see just how happy you've become with Lois."

While Clark smiled, both Donna and Shayera winced. They knew the words were true, but it was becoming too much for Diana, who was now starting to shake.

"Thank you, Di," Clark said. "Lois is just dying to meet you. Perhaps I can take you by later on today?"

Donna had to grab Diana's arm to keep her from shaking more. "Of course, Kal. I would love to see your lucky soon-to-be bride."

He smiled again, and the tears grew even more. Couldn't he see that he was hurting her?

No, he didn't, or else he would not be saying these things to her. She could barely keep the tears back and hoped that Clark would stop talking soon, or else she'd have to walk out herself.

"Anything else?"

Clark shook his head. "No, that's all." He gave each of them a hug. "See you later."

As soon as Clark was out of their sight, Diana stood up, walking briskly to her room. Her room was her safe place, where nobody could disturb her. Recently she had a dense metal added into the interior of her walls so that she could not hear anyone outside of it. Beforehand, she'd often have a hard time falling asleep, but now she could sleep without a problem, so to speak.

Also, it kept Clark from hearing her anymore.

Just as she made it out of the doorway, she felt two sets of hands on her. "Diana," Shayera said softly, "are you alright?"

"I'm fine." She tried to pull away, but the hands wouldn't allow it.

"You're a horrible liar," Donna said. "We both see you're not alright."

"I will be fine, now let me go."

They spun her around so she was facing them. She was trembling, unshed tears in her eyes. Donna grabbed Diana's arm. "It's okay if you want to cry," she offered.

Once again, Diana spun away from them. "I am telling you, I am fine. I don't need condolence from my little sister or my best friend." She started walking away again.

"Donna told me about Themyscira."

Diana froze. The memories flashed through her mind like lightning, how she and Donna were going there for her mother's birthday, only to find every single Amazon turned to snakes, while Hippolyta herself was a model of her helpless form, her arms outstretched and her face twisted in horror…

"You don't have to be strong anymore," Donna nearly whispered, slipping her arms around Diana's waist while pressing her face into her sister's back. "We understand. Remember what you told me when we found out about our father?"

Oh, she remembered perfectly. She remembered telling Donna that it was fine to show emotions, yet here she was, abdicating her own words, showing strength instead of sorrow. "Diana, you don't have to be Wonder Woman right now," Shayera said soothingly.

The words of comfort from Donna and Shayera were slowing proving to be too much for Diana to take. "I know I don't have to. I _choose_ to. Now leave me alone." Once again she tried to walk away.

But Donna wouldn't allow it. "Why are you denying yourself relief? We know Clark's words cut you deep…"

"You know _nothing_!" Diana screaming, wheeling around so fast Donna and Shayera were caught off-guard. "What do you know about me? There are obviously differences between us!"

She was delirious from grief. "Diana…"

Diana wasn't listening. Turning sharply on her heel, she nearly flew at lightspeed towards her room, throwing herself inside the open door. The tears were barely held back at that point, but she still refused to let them fall. She was an Amazon, a warrior, a princess—an outcast to Clark's relationship.

Her vision was blurred heavily, but she still made out the image of her bed and collapsed on it, curling into a fetal position. Never had she felt so upset before, not even when she found about Lois and Clark's relationship. They had started out as friends, but it soon turned into something more.

And Diana sat there and smiled the entire time, while on the inside she was screaming.

Diana wiped at her eyes, knowing she'd never show weakness again. She hated the feeling, she hated anything having to do with vulnerability. Yes, she told Donna that vulnerability was okay, but couldn't help but feel like betraying her own words.

She clenched at her bed sheets, taking deep breaths to calm herself down. It wouldn't help to get worked up over something she could never have, would it? She just had to get used to Clark's decision and support him for it, even if it meant betraying her own feelings…

"Diana?"

How she didn't hear Shayera and Donna come in she'll never know. "What?" she nearly growled.

Donna was unfazed by her sister's anger. "You know why we're here, Di."

Diana turned away from them. "Like I said, I don't need your comfort. I'm _fine_."

"That's a lie and you know it," Shayera argued. "Just look at you; you're like a child whose best friend move away. We know you're upset over Clark's relationship with Lois."

It hurt just to hear that name. "I appreciate your concern, but I am _fine_. What will make you two realize that?"

They looked at each other. "We want you to relieve the stress inside of you," Donna aid

"I'm _not_ stressed."

Shayera, despite understanding everything, was starting to get irritated at her friend's stubbornness. "Diana, we _know_ you are! You have a _reason_ to be. You lost your entire home in a day, and now the only man you've had feelings for is getting married to someone other than you."

Diana didn't turn to face them at all. "You two won't leave me alone until I admit defeat, won't you?"

"We're not saying that," Donna said. "We know you won't admit defeat, but we want you to _acknowledge _it."

"I already have. My best friend is marrying someone that's not me. Isn't that acknowledging defeat then? I know I can't have him, and I never will."

Donna gazed at her older sister sympathetically, moving around so she could face her. "Di, we know it hurts, so why don't you just…"

"Don't even think about it! I am an Amazon, a princess, and a warrior! Since when does any of those three cry because they can't have something they want?"

"But Di…"

Now Diana sat up, glaring madly at Donna. "No, don't try to reason with me. You _know_ that I'm going to ignore you. As a matter of fact, why are you still here? Don't you and Shayera have monitor duty?"

With a sigh, Shayera grabbed Donna's hand, leading her to the door. "Fine, Diana, we get it, we'll leave for now, but we're not done talking. Do you understand me?"

Diana waved them away, lying back down on the bed. "Whatever. Just go."

As soon as the door closed, the tears returned. She badly wanted to let her anger out, but what good would it do her? It would not get her mother back, nor would it get Clark to be with her. No matter what she did, she was still lost.

* * *

Clark slid down next to Diana, who was sitting at a table in the cafeteria. She was there for a full hour, yet she didn't even touch her salad. Instead, she had her head bowed, as if something interesting was happening under the table.

Days passed since he'd told everyone about the news. Everyone was happy for him, but he had the feeling that, although Diana smiled and acted cheerful about it, that something else was going on. Her beautiful sky blue eyes now were dulled to a darker shade, and at times they appeared almost black. If he asked her if something was wrong she'd only smile and shake her head.

He was also aware of the insulator put into her walls recently. Not only did it block noise, but it also had the same structure of lead, which made it difficult for him to look through the walls as much as listen to her. But he knew it was to hide something. What, he didn't know.

When he took his seat, Diana didn't even bother to look up, or even acknowledge him being there. She kept her head down, shaking slightly. It took him a moment to realize that she was clutching a photo of her mother underneath the table.

"Di," Clark said softly, rubbing her arm, "is everything alright?"

It was scaring him, how the woman that would fight until the end despite hurting in every way possible was now suffering some kind of emotional turmoil and would not confide in him, her best friend, about it. Was he at fault? Did he do something to make her this way?

Slowly, Diana said, "Not now, but I'll be fine."

Not now? "What happened? Do you want to talk about it?

She started shaking more, and Clark thought he'd crossed a boundary. "I'm fine," Diana insisted. "It's just some…foolish mistakes that I've done."

"Di, you're not fine. You've been sitting here for an hour looking at that photo of your mother." An idea came to him. "Did your mother do something else?"

Diana quickly shook her head. "No, no, it wasn't her. She did nothing wrong. She _couldn't_ have done anything wrong."

"Why not? Oh, and did you tell her what I said I promised I'd do for her birthday?"

She suddenly tensed, and the photo in her hands slipped through her fingers. "I…didn't get the chance to tell her. She wasn't available."

"Oh, well, can you tell her for me next time? I want to prove to her that I'm worthy of being your friend."

Clark noticed that Diana tensed even more. Was it something he said? "O…okay, Kal, I will," she nearly whispered.

What was wrong with her? This was NOT the girl he was used to. No, she wasn't even a girl—she was a woman, his best friend. It was between him, her, and Bruce that made a tightknit bond. Even though Bruce was currently in Gotham, he always checked up on the Watchtower, mostly them.

"Di, I know there's something wrong," Clark said sternly. "Why won't you tell me?"

"Because I can't," she mumbled. "If I tell you, you'll hate me. I don't want you to die hating me."

By then she was shaking so much that he'd taken her into his arms, rubbing her back. Something was DEFINITELY wrong, and he was going to find out, no matter how long it took him.

* * *

Ah, love can make you oblivious, ne? As you can see, Diana went back on her own words, holding her pain inside of her. But with her homeland's death, her loneliness, and her dealing with Clark's marriage, will she survive? Find out soon!


	2. Love Hurts

Whoo, this one took a lot out of me! This may be the best chapter I've ever written for something. Enjoy!

* * *

Donna and Clark touched down in front of the house he recently brought with Lois. Shayera and Diana were going to come shortly, which gave time for the two of them to talk. Clark was highly aware of Diana's choice to stay quiet more often than not, which became more usual as each day passed. He was certain Donna could explain.

"I know what's wrong with her," Donna said, biting on her lip. She knew ALL of it, but at least half would crush him.

"Can you tell me?"

Donna looked away from Clark's pleading gaze. She was torn between keeping her sister's secret and telling the one person she had feelings for how to help her. Either way, one of them was going to be hurt.

She felt Clark grab her hands, which made her turn back to him. His blue eyes were asking, begging her to tell him. "Please, Donna, I know there's something wrong with Di, and I only want to help her. Please."

She sighed. "…Our mother and sisters are gone," she nearly whispered, still holding back one truth. At least she wasn't lying to him this way. "The Amazons were turned to snakes, while our mother, the Queen, was turned into clay, mocking Diana's 'origin'. It was her birthday when this happened, and we were on our way to visit her, but…" Donna trailed off, the memories of what she'd seen overwhelming her.

Clark pulled the teen into a hug, running a hand through her hair soothingly. He'd done this once before with Diana, when a small boy she was desperately trying to save died in the hospital. She spent all of her free time with him, but after fighting for his life for weeks, it became a lost battle.

He still remembered how he found her in the training room, mangling dozens of robots with her sword. He stood there for a while, watching her switch between her sword and hands to face against the makeshift opponents, using her brute strength to destroy every single of them with ease. He finally decided to intervene when she finished off the six-hundredth one.

Her first reaction to him there was shock, and then anger. He remembered the kick that he got from her after she declared that he _let_ the boy die. He tried to explain that they had no choice, but her mind was clouded with grief for the boy and his family, and she was hearing none of it. It took Clark several minutes to pin her to the wall, and by then her anger had risen so high she was swearing at him in Greek and wasn't even aware of it.

His gaze was what made Diana stop thrashing around. It was warm and understanding, unlike the gaze full of coldness and hatred that came from the boy's parents when he had passed. Yet she still ached for them, despite all they said to her. She knew they were only angry out of grief and lost, and she wanted to continue to help them, but had to leave.

Clark's gaze was all that was needed to calm her down, and she collapsed, breathing heavily. He held her as silent tears streamed down her face while she choked out an apology. But he was never mad with her as he understood. She was a warrior, a person of stone; they weren't built to grieve.

"It's okay," Clark said to Donna when he felt her begin to shake. "I know it's hard, but you and Diana will get past this, and I'll be there with you every step of the way."

Donna knew this was going to hurt Diana more than help her, as she didn't even want to see Clark now. It hurt just to look at him and pretend to be happy despite knowing he was about to be happily married to another woman. She still remembered the conservation she had with Diana right before they left.

"_Dee, I can't stand watching Kal be so happy. I want to tell him how I feel, but how can I now? After this, I don't want to see him anymore unless it's on missions."_

"_But Di, he cares for you. He's concerned for you. You're slowly becoming a recluse, and he's starting to see through your barrier. He knows something is wrong."_

"_He's concerned for me?"_ For that split moment, Donna saw a spark, and her sister reappeared. But as soon as it came, it was gone. "_It's as a friend, Dee. He doesn't know how I feel about him, and he never will. I don't want to ruin his relationship with Lois because of my selfishness. But I can't stand the sight of them together. After this, I'm done."_

Donna pulled away from Clark's arms. "Sorry, it's just that…it was sudden, and none of us expected that, you know? We tried to be strong, but I of course failed by the time night fell, and Diana obviously showed no emotion. She's been hard as stone ever since she found me as Kat. She doesn't show emotion, although she has every right to."

Clark took in the information given to him, completely surprised by Donna's words. It made sense to him now why she was so depressed—she was, in her own way, grieving. Now he felt guilt for repeatedly bringing up her mother nearly every single time he'd talked to her. No wonder she'd often storm out the place shortly afterwards.

Just as he was about to say something else, he heard a shout and looked up. Shayera and Diana were hovering above them. "Did we miss anything?" Shayera asked.

Clark shook his head. "No, not a thing. We were just waiting for you to show up."

He noticed the sharp glare Diana gave Donna for a brief moment before putting on a smile for him. "I assume Lois is inside waiting for us, right?"

He nodded. "Like I said, she can't wait to meet you. Let's go inside."

Of course, as soon as he turned around, Diana's smile faltered greatly.

The moment he opened the door he was met with a hug. "Clark!" Lois cried. "I missed you!"

Donna could've sworn Diana turned a little green at the sight.

The pair separated, and Clark said to Lois, "These are my friends from the JLA, Shayera, Donna, and Diana."

Lois immediately headed for Diana and held out her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you," she said. She then moved on to Donna and Shayera, noting the resemblance between the Amazon sisters. "Wow, the genes in your family are perfect!" She pointed to Donna. "You're an exact copy of Wonder Woman!"

The sisters unconsciously clenched their hands into fists. Lois had reminded them of Donna's "origin".

"You're just as great as they are," she cooed to Shayera. "You're one of the strongest out there!"

Shayera smiled. "You're not bad yourself. I've seen some of your work online. It's no wonder why you are the youngest from the _Daily Planet _to have won the Pulitzer's Prize."

Lois beamed. "Finally, somebody appreciates my work." She glared playfully at Clark. "Sometimes I think Superman here is too busy for his soon-to-be wife."

Now Donna was sure Diana was turning green.

Clark went inside the house, everyone else following them. The house was a nice size for the couple, being a shade of red and having lots of land around it. Crops were scattered all over the backyard.

The five all took a seat in the living room, Lois and Clark together while Shayera, Donna, and Diana sat on a couch. "So, why are you such a fan of Diana?" Shayera asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Lois said as if it was the easiest thing to understand. "She's a role model for women everywhere. She's a warrior in every way, stands up for herself…" A smirk appeared on her face. "And she's the only one in the Justice league that can truly stand up to my Clark."

_My Clark_. Donna and Shayera were now aware of Diana's slightly hitched breathing.

"Thank you," Diana said, smiling brightly. Everyone except the couple knew the smile was completely faked. "It's nice to hear this from someone, although I hear it all the time. They're mostly children, though."

Lois smile was completely opposite of Diana's. "They all admire you, Wonder Woman. You're they're hero and inspiration. You're certainly mine, and I'm a grown woman!"

"Thank you again, and please, call me Diana. There's no need to be formal."

"Okay." She turned to Donna. "So, Wonder G—I mean, Donna, what does it feel like to be the younger sister of one of the most popular heroes in the world?"

Fortunately for Donna, she was steadily becoming known around the world, thanks to her work in the Justice League. In magazines, she was often said to be as popular as Power Girl, Clark's cousin from another world.

"It's nice. I mean, she's the strongest woman in the world, and like you said, only Clark has the power to go head to head with her. Personally, I love the attention she gets from everyone."

"And I'm sure everyone loves giving her attention." Lois turned to Clark. "Would you mind if I talk to Diana alone upstairs for a moment? I want to ask her some things?"

"Oh, I don't mind at all." He let her stand up. "Di, are you fine with it?"

Diana nodded, although the last thing she wanted to do was be with the woman that was soon going to be the happiest human on earth. Nonetheless she followed Lois up the stairs, hearing Clark talk to Donna and Shayera.

Lois led her to a room in the far corner of the house. As soon as the door closed, Diana noticed that she could hear nothing outside of it. She was able to hear Clark talk with her sister and Shayera perfectly until the door was closed. Why did this happen?

"Insulation similar to lead," Lois quickly said, as if reading her mind. Her face suddenly turned dark and she tried to smack Diana, but with Diana's brute strength, it only worked against her.

Of course, it only fueled her anger. "You Amazon bitch! How dare you try to steal _my_ man?!"

Diana was taken aback by the sudden change in Lois' demeanor. "I did nothing! We are only friends, I swear!"

"I've seen how you look at him," Lois growled. "You and he continuously flirt with each other on camera, and you two are closer than anyone else on the team! You've got no reason doing that when you know he's with me!"

"The only reason why we're so close is that we can relate to each other!" Diana shouted back, feeling her anger rise. Who was she to criticize her and Clark's friendship? "He knows how it feels to be lonely, and so do I!"

"Well, he's not lonely anymore, is he now?" The snarl on Lois' was now a smirk. She knew she had something Diana wanted badly. "He's with me, and he's happy. He's happier than he's ever been. Can't you see that, you Amazonian demon? He's not lonely anymore, yet you still are. You're the only one left. Even your sister, Donna, is slowly becoming happier than you."

It was rumored that Donna had found Dick, now Nightwing, as a boyfriend. It wasn't confirmed just yet, but with Donna's constant positive remarks about him, Diana thought it was more possible than not.

"Besides, who wants to date you?" Lois continued, her smirk growing bigger with each passing second. "Clark told me all about you. Your father is Zeus, the King of the Gods. You're a literal bastard, and that only makes me happier. You don't _deserve _to be happy, you demigod brute. You deserve to be lonely, to be miserable while everyone else is happy. Face it, Clark is mine, and you're never going to get him to be with you!"

Diana didn't know how much words could hurt from a total stranger until that moment. She turned away from Lois' cold sneer and left the room, suddenly feeling nauseous. Her stomach churned, and her vision blurred. Placing a hand over her mouth, she fumbled for the side of the wall, slowly making her way down the hall.

However, when she reached the stairway she knew she was going to have a difficult time. Her stomach was threatening to heave at any moment, and she hardly knew where anything was because of her vision was heavily impaired because of its increasing blurriness. She felt for the railing, reaching a foot out for the first step.

That proved to be her mistake. Because of everything working against her, her knees suddenly gave way, and she slowly stumbled. She caught herself, but knew it would only be for a matter of moments. "Clark!" she cried hoarsely, feeling the railing slip through her fingers.

She was faintly aware of someone shouting, "Diana!" just as her grip loosened completely and she tumbled down the staircase. She felt herself hit step after step, hitting her head repeatedly against them. Just as she lost consciousness, she felt a pair of hands wrap around her.

* * *

Clark gazed at the demigoddess unconscious in his arms. She was warm to his touch, too warm actually. How was she capable of getting sick? He didn't even need to use his x-ray vision to see that.

There was a knot on her head from when she hit it repeatedly. It was already swollen, but he knew that it'd go away within a few hours' time due to her accelerated immune system. But the fact that this was her second time getting sick worried him. The first time it was magically induced—as far as he knew, she had no opponents that specialized in magic, so what was wrong now?

He could feel the knots under her skin, and he knew they only appeared from stress. What was Diana stressed about? Was it about her mother?

It had to be. It was the only logic he could think of at that moment, not to mention it made complete sense. Due to her status as a warrior princess she would not allow herself to grieve, which put a strain on her body. His constant pestering about it didn't help at all either.

In seconds, he was back in the living room, where Donna and Shayera were still. Both gasped at the sight of Diana. "Is she alright?" Donna asked, rushing over to them.

"She'll be fine, but for now she's sick," Clark explained. "It must be from the stress of what happened to Themyscira."

Just then, Lois appeared, apparently out of breath. "Oh my God, is she alright? I heard her fall," she exclaimed. "What happened?"

Donna glared at Lois. She knew Lois was the cause of it somehow. "It's stress. It's taking a toll on her, and she passed out."

Like Donna and Shayera, Lois gasped, but they noticed a gleam in the woman's eyes. Donna clenched her hands while Shayera growled under her breath. They would have to talk to her shortly.

Clark placed Diana on the couch, grabbing a blanket nearby and covering her with it. "She can stay here with me," he said to Shayera and Donna. "Can we finish this later when she's better? We can do it tomorrow if you want; I'm positive she'll be better by then."

Donna nodded before Shayera could open her mouth. When Clark looked away, she discreetly pointed to Lois, who was fuming behind Clark. Apparently, his decision was something she didn't agree on, and it made the younger demigoddess and Thanagarian happy.

"We'll stop by later to check up on her," Shayera said, walking out the door with Donna. "Take care of her, Kent."

"I will," he smiled. He had no clue in the world at how Lois was glaring daggers at Diana.

* * *

Diana forced herself awake, opening her eyes with great difficulty. She was still lying down and was faintly aware of her surroundings. She knew she wasn't in the Watchtower and vaguely recalled visiting Clark…

_Oh, Hera,_ she thought. _I'm at Kal's house. I passed out at Kal's house._ She only heard two other people in the house and knew who they were. _And I'm here with Kal and Lois. By the gods, I'm a fool._

She felt something cool lying on her forehead and grabbed it. It was a washcloth dampened with water, something she knew only Clark would do. Because of his upbringing, he knew it was an easy remedy to help lower a temperature.

Diana was so into her thoughts that she didn't even realize that Clark was sitting next to her the entire time. When she did happen to look, it startled her so much that she punched him in his face purely out of instinct.

"Ow! That hurt," he said, rubbing his nose. "You know, for someone who's sick, you have quite a punch."

She paled. He was the _last_ person she wanted to see at that moment. The mere fact that she _knew_ he sat there with her until she woke up was too much for her to handle. Her stomach started to churn once more, and she had her hand over her mouth again. "K-Kal," she barely managed to choke out.

He understood immediately and in seconds had her in the bathroom, holding her head over the toilet. "It's okay," he whispered while moving her hair away from her face.

No, it wasn't. For a moment, Diana was certain she could handle herself, but his words made her stomach heave, and she emptied her body of the little contents it had.

She was done within moments. Clark flushed, helped her rinse her mouth out, and took her back downstairs. "Do you feel any better?" he asked.

Diana nodded, although in reality she actually felt worse. He was being so kind to her, so caring, and it only made her feelings for him grow deeper. Yet, he was something she could never have, just as Lois had said.

"_You don't deserve to be happy, you demigod brute. You deserve to be lonely, to be miserable while everyone else is happy. Face it, Clark is mine, and you're never going to get him to be with you!"_

She felt her stomach heave again, but managed to calm down before Clark could notice anything. Although she was grateful for his help, it really did make her feel worse than she already did.

Clark smiled at her. "Donna and Shayera should be here any moment, Di. They're worried about you, and you were asleep all day." His smile faded as his expression turned to one of worry. "What happened? Why did you pass out?"

What could Diana say? How could she tell him that she passed out because of what Lois had said to her? She couldn't. "I guess I was suddenly hit with reality," she offered. It was the closest she could get to the truth without actually revealing what it was.

To her despair, Clark pulled her into a hug. "I know it hurts now," he said, stroking her hair like he always did. "It'll get better, I promise."

She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling worse and worse. _Please don't make a promise you can't keep,_ she pleaded in her mind.

He continued, "And I'll try my best to help you heal." He was smiling again.

Diana paled. Those were the words she had once said to him, when _he_ was the one grieving. Now with the situation in reverse, she felt helpless, especially when his "healing" would only make the wound worse. Couldn't he see that his help was actually hurting her?

* * *

"What did Lois say to you?" Shayera demanded.

It was past nightfall by then, and Clark and Lois went out for a few hours to do some shopping for the house. They left when Donna and Shayera stopped by, deciding to leave then. Now it was only the three women currently inside the house.

"Everything," Diana nearly whispered, her voice thick with emotions she refused to show. "She said that I deserved to be lonely and miserable, and that Kal was something I could never have." She whimpered slightly, "And she's right. I can't have him. I can never have him."

"Just ignore Lois, Di," Donna said. She was furious at how Lois managed to make her sister so sick with words alone. The woman certainly knew what points to hit. "She's just jealous of you."

Diana lowered her head. "What is there for her to be jealous about? She's the one that's going to marry Kal, not me. She's the one that he loves, not me. She's the one that is he is happy with, not me. I'm just his friend, and that's all I'll ever be with him."

Shayera gritted her teeth. She wanted to torture the woman that had made Diana so upset. Who was she to ruin what little happiness the Amazon had left?

"Like I said, ignore her," Donna repeated. "She's got nothing on you. You're a hero, an inspiration to everyone around the world. She's just some stupid journalist for a newspaper company. Who do you thinks wins at that?"

Diana didn't care one bit about that. She could have been the strongest person in the entire universe, yet she'd still be miserable. She saw no point in having power and popularity if she still couldn't have something she wanted.

Shayera sighed. "Listen, Di, we know you're upset, but you can't go around moping about this forever."

Diana chuckled bitterly. "Yes, I can. I'm immortal, and Donna will be as well in a few years. It's our genes kicking in. The fact that we're the daughters of Zeus enhances that fact, for even if we weren't Amazons, that would still be true. I can be like this forever. Even when the earth is destroyed billions of years from now, I'll still be here."

Sure enough, she was immortal. She could be killed physically and with a very severe disease, but if she was never touched, she'd live forever. The fact that Clark would be one of the only ones around still centuries from now only made her feel worse. He'd be so caught up in Lois' death by then that he still wouldn't think about her.

"How do you know that?" Shayera asked.

Diana's eyes darkened. "That spell Mageia cast on me months ago was powerful enough to kill Kal, even if he wasn't vulnerable to magic. However, since both sides of my family are magic users, my body was able to repel it. But it still should have killed me, as it overworked my system repeatedly. I should have been dead. I _would_ have been dead had this happened to me sooner."

Shayera stared at Diana for a moment before shaking her head. "We're getting off topic. Immortal or not, you can't let this cloud your mind."

"Who says I am? I'm still Wonder Woman, and though I admit I'm not out as much as I usually am, no one besides you two are aware of anything wrong with me."

"It's more than that," Donna chipped in. "You're a recluse now. You hate being anywhere where Clark is, and you know he's out more than anyone else on missions. A week ago during a mission to Switzerland, you kept your distance from him. The signs then were obvious, and I think he started to pick up on it then."

Just before any of them could say anything else, the front door opened. Clark and Lois came in, carrying various bags. "Hey, Di. Feel any better?" Lois asked in a sickening-sweet voice.

Diana was barely able to force a smile. "Oh, I feel much better. In fact, I think I can leave when Donna and Shayera does." That was a lie. Just from the sight of Clark she could feel her stomach threatening to heave once again, and she wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.

"I want you to stay the night here," Clark said. "I want to keep an eye on you. You may be feeling better, but I can see that you're still a little sick. You should be better by tomorrow afternoon; until then, you're my guest."

Donna and Shayera snickered despite Diana's look of horror. Lois was turning red from Clark's words. "No, Ka—Clark, I'm fine," Diana said, catching herself on using his Kryptonian name. The last thing she needed was to make Lois even angrier because she also knew his birth name, even though everyone close to Clark knew it.

Donna and Shayera caught on immediately, but Clark acted as if he hadn't heard a thing. "Come on, Di, it's just for one night," he pleaded, his blue eyes cracking her already-damaged will.

It was moments before she caved in. "Fine, but just for tonight. As soon as the clock hits twelve in the afternoon, I'm gone."

He smiled, and Lois looked as if she wanted to hit something. Donna and Shayera took that as their time for a "talk". They "borrowed" her, excusing themselves to take her outside, only to fly her away from the house as far as possible.

"Hey! Put me down!" Lois squirmed, kicking the two. But the Thanagarian and Amazon demigoddess didn't even feel it because of their metahuman strength.

Soon, they were at their destination: on the other side of New York. It was quiet, a perfect place to have a conservation. The duo put Lois on the ground, both wearing twin glares of hatred.

"Any reason why you two decided to kidnap me?" Lois demanded.

"I don't appreciate you hurting my sister," Donna growled, crossing her arms over her chest. "You're the reason why she got sick in the first place. Don't you know how dangerous it is to do these kinds of things to a person who saves the world constantly?"

"Then tell her to stay away from Clark," Lois said stubbornly. "If she stays away from him, I'll stay away from her."

"But she works with him!" Shayera squealed, throwing her arms up in the air. "How can she stay away if they're one of the founding members of the League? She _has_ to be there!"

"Well then, I guess I'll never stop," Lois said.

"But you…"

"Listen, I've seen how close they are, and I won't let her come in between my relationship with Clark. She's his friend, but if I never came into the picture, I know it would be more than just that. She wants him but can't have him because he's with me, and she keeps butting her head into our business. Tell her to leave us alone, and I'll stop. Otherwise, have fun with her being depressed."

Lois smirked when neither one of them had anything to say. "Now, can you please take me home?"

Shayera wanted to throw the wench into the closest body of water, but begrudgingly picked the woman up and flew her back to Metropolis with Donna. In a matter of minutes, they were at the house. As soon as her feet touched the ground, they flew off.

Lois cackled under her breath. "They just don't know who they're dealing with," she said to herself as she went inside.

* * *

So, Diana's starting to get physicially sick from her emotional pain. Love hurts, doesn't it?

I hope I did Lois okay. I was going to make her sweet and caring, but thought that this approach was much, much better. She's kind only when Clark's around, but when he's gone, she's a bitch. Hmm, I can see more torture for the demigoddess coming her way. My next chapter will be up soon. Please review!


	3. Wonders of the Night

This chapter is going to be short for a reason. It's mostly Clark thinking about Diana, and it reveals the depths of his feelings toward the demigoddess. Enjoy!

* * *

Clark watched Diana as she slept. The demigoddess looked so peaceful to him in slumber, so calm…it was a huge contrast to the underlying torture she was going through. He knew a part of it was because of her homeland's demise, but something told him it was more than that. No, he _knew_ it was more than that.

But _what_ was it?

He thought about every single thing that had happened to her over the past few months. He thought about Donna being found, Hippolyta's ten-year lie, her discovery of her true parentage, and other things, such as various bittersweet battles, fights, and natural disasters. Could it be that the pain of seeing those she loved and those innocent die was finally catching up to her?

It was a possibility, but Clark _still_ felt that was not all of it. If it was, Diana would have surely confided in him by now about it. After all, he understood the ache of seeing countless people die and being powerless to stop it. It was one of the outcomes of being a superhero that could not be avoided.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard Diana mumble something in her sleep. Since he was not exactly paying attention to her, he didn't catch it. But she mumbled the same thing moments later:

"_Come back…"_

Come back? Who was it for? Was it for her mother? The Amazons in general? Someone else? Whoever it was for, Clark was sure it was for someone important and close to her.

Diana started whimpering, and he ran a hand through her hair, whispering soothing words to the sleeping form on his couch. The comfort only seemed to work her up more, as her whimpers grew in volume and she started to tremble.

Clark pulled her into his arms, brushing her dark curls out of her face. He gently shook her, slowly rousing her from her sleep. It was moments before her eyes fluttered opened and her deep blue eyes met his sky blue ones.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," he said jokingly.

He grinned when Diana smiled a little. "It's only four," she said while glancing at the clock in the room.

"It's still morning. Anyway, how do you feel now?"

She started to answer before suddenly shutting her mouth, her eyes widening. Clark's grin quickly faded as worry shook him. "What's wrong? Are you alright?"

He noticed that Diana was starting to turn pale. He pulled her even closer to her, which made her nearly pressing against his chest. She paled even more and pressed her lips tightly together.

Realization hit Clark and two seconds later he was holding her head over the toilet again, rubbing her back as her stomach emptied the turkey, bread and peas she had for dinner, made by Lois. About an hour later Diana had started to complain of drowsiness and nausea and went to sleep after Clark's insistence. It seemed as if the food had irritated her stomach. But that did not make sense, as he and Lois had eaten the same thing, and he watched her cook everything and even set up Diana's plate himself.

"It was probably something I ate," Diana said when they were back in the living room.

"Di, Lois and I had the same thing as you," Clark frowned. "I understand you are still slightly sick, but given with how much you had eaten, you should have not done it again in the first place."

"Perhaps, but it is a possibility. Don't forget I am partially human." Diana scowled at this.

He noticed. "You're still human, Di. You've always been human."

"_Half_-human, Kal. I'm different from everyone else."

Clark smiled softly. "Not everyone. I'm an alien from another planet, yet I look human, just like you. There are others just like us—Orion, for example. He looks completely human, yet his father is Darkseid, and you've seen how he looks. But you're one of the only ones that can prove why you look this way."

Diana couldn't help but copy Clark's smile. He always knew when to make her crack one, even if she was upset.

A little while later, she fell back asleep in his arms. He put her back on the couch and covered her with the sheets before settling in the chair next to her. His grin grew when she cuddled the pillow she was using.

Even though he had always thought of it, he knew from that moment on that he'd do everything in his power to make her happy again. He missed the young, brass woman that he'd come to terms with as a friend and teammate. He could still remember her when she was eighteen and bluntly naïve to every single thing that she came across. Steve had told him a few days after they saved the world what happened when she "discovered" ice cream.

Clark chuckled at the memory. Diana had her sword in her hands the entire time, thinking of it as normal while everyone around her saw the eighteen year old as the "scary lady with the gigantic sword". Even though she didn't hurt anyone, it still amused him that she didn't once think to put the sword away.

Even though now she was still adorably naïve, there were signs of her ever-growing maturity. For one thing, she went from an eighteen year old that was just as innocent as a child to a grown woman with experience. That was one of the things he adored her about, how she could adapt to something completely new to her in no time.

Diana shifted in her sleep, gaining Clark's attention. He looked up to see her smiling, murmuring words even he couldn't pick up with his ears. Whatever it was, he thought, it was making her happy, and that made him happy. Too bad he was almost certain it was already gone in reality, though.

His eyes fell on the bracers around the demigoddess' arms. Did she really harbor her father's true strength? It was said that the bracers were power-limiters, and she did say that the one time they were gone along with the armband and choker she started to lose herself. It was both terrifying and intriguing to what depths her true strength had.

In addition to that, she also was going through a second "puberty", in which she still had her powers growing. He learned about her gaining superbreath—when they returned from their mission that day, Donna was shivering and had chunks of melting ice clinging to various parts of herb body while Diana looked completely embarrassed and avoided eye contact with everyone. It was amusing when he heard that a simple sneeze created a two-hour job to free the younger Amazon.

But how long would this last? She was only twenty-three and still had years to go before reaching her physical peak. He was also aware of her immortality because of Zeus' genes, and because of them, she also would not grow any older past a certain age. But she already looked young, almost like a growing teenager. When would she reach the age where she could grow no more?

Clark also wondered about her developing powers. It seemed that when she was in stress that her hidden ability would reveal itself. Diana had gained her superhearing months before, yes, but it wasn't when she had heard Donna and Shayera on the other side of the Watchtower. It happened days before, when a bomb was ticking in the middle of a volcano. One of Lex Luthor's goons had managed to plant it there, and it was huge enough to destroy all of Greece, but at the time they had no idea where the bomb was. He was attacked with red kryptonite that nearly rendered him powerless; he only had superstrength and the power to fly, and both decreased dramatically after use for a certain amount of time. Diana was the strongest at the moment, and he remembered vividly the fear etched onto her face as she desperately searched for the bomb.

He still remembered her growing terror and fright, how she was suddenly the only one that could save what had been the source of her homeland. He remembered how he chastised himself for not listening for the bomb earlier, or how he didn't use his x-ray vision to find the bomb himself.

He remembered how Diana's face suddenly lit up a split second before she dashed toward the volcano.

Moments later, she launched herself out of the bubbling magma, flying high into the air while leaving traces of the molten rock behind. She barely made it into the stratosphere before it went off, flinging her back into the earth. Amazingly, she was unharmed, only dazed and out of breath from the explosion. He asked her how she managed to find it, and she told him that she "followed her ears".

Clark could imagine the rush of the day temporarily "blocking" out her newfound power, and that when it passed it returned. He knew what that was like, as a couple of times in the past when he was beginning to emerge as Superman he would have a "block" of a power because of the exhilaration of it.

Diana's superbreath also appeared during distress as well. This mission consisted of the sisters and Shayera, and they had to travel to the equator. Apparently, the depth of the reasoning behind the mission was to create temperatures to beyond boiling measures for the Leaguers Gorilla Grodd managed to lure. The heat of it was powerful enough to melt the densest metal in the universe.

And that's when she sneezed.

The cold rush of air emitting from her cooled everything down for miles, freezing everyone that was in her path. Unfortunately for her, the only ones in her path were Grodd, his goons, and Donna. While they took care of Grodd and his team by handing them over to the government, Shayera and Diana had to carefully chip off the ice from Donna's body, which encased the younger demigoddess for so long that she was left shivering and sniffling despite her toughness to the cold.

Clark once again noticed the dark-haired woman shifting in her sleep and stole a glance. Diana's smile seemed to grow from what before, and he wished he could see what had made her so happy. From that moment forward, he was going to do everything in his power to return that happiness to her.

* * *

And it goes to show how much Clark unconsciously cares about Diana. The next chapter's gonna make him realize just how deep these feelings go, and he slowly thinks about his relationship with Lois. But, there's a reason for everything...

I noticed that some of you disliked how I had written Lois in my previous chapter, but to be honest, I'm young and haven't read many comic books. I only go by what I've read and heard, and she's usually portrayed as this. Besides, like I said, there's a reason why she's like this...

Oh, and before I forget, I'm planning on doing a little side story on Diana's powers soon. Each chapter's gonna star a new power she's developed and how she handles it.

Speaking of that, I'm kinda low on what powers to give her. I've read that she's been bullet proof like Clark in some Elseworlds stories, so should I make her like that here? All powers thought of are welcomed. I want to show the extention of Diana's abilities, but as mentioned, I have absolutely no idea what else to give her.

Thanks! Please review!


	4. A Homeland Visit

Ah, sorry for the wait. i had a little trouble with this chapter. Please enjoy.

* * *

"So, how did it go with you and Big Blue?" Donna asked, sipping on her soda.

Diana rolled her eyes. "I already told you, Dee, nothing went on between us. I slept most of the time, and then when I woke up around eight, we talked."

Donna smirked. "Am I really supposed to believe that's all that happened?"

"_YES_. He's getting married to Lois and I don't want to interfere with the relationship he has with her. You know she gets angry if I so much as hug him when she's around."

"Yeah, she's a witch with a capital B." Donna looked up at her older sister. "Speaking of witches, what got into you? You're not moping around as usual. Whenever I bring up Clark, you would either tell me to drop it or storm off. Now I speak of him, and you act as if it's nothing. Are you sick again?"

Diana chuckled. "No, I'm not sick again. I just went through a bout of it. But you and Shayera said it yourself, that I had to stop letting Kal get to me. He's happy, so I am as well."

Donna nearly spat out the soda she had decided to take a big gulp of at that moment and coughed. "Di, I am certain you're possessed right now. This is _not_ you talking."

"It is. I'm better than I was before. I realized that even though I can't be with him like Lois, I can still be his friend, and that's good enough for me."

"…I'm still positive you're not Diana."

"I am, Donna!" Diana was laughing right now. "Listen, I'm fine. There's nothing wrong with me."

"I'm still not sure…"

"Do you want me to sing that wretched song again?"

Now Donna spat out the soda, roaring with laughter. Diana was talking about the time when they had a bet between them, and the loser had to sing a song in front of several women in the Justice League. Diana lost, and she was made to sing "It's Raining Men" by Donna. By the time the song ended, half of the people in the Watchtower were laughing. She even had Bruce pounding his fists into the table despite being usually stoic.

"No, no, that won't be necessary," Donna wheezed. "I believe you now. I'm still surprised you went through with it. You could have flown off. I can't catch you."

"It was a bet, and you won fairly," Diana said. "You know I don't go against my word."

"Not easily, anyway." They stood up and walked out of the cafeteria, throwing the remnants of their food away on the way out. "You don't go down without a fight, which is why I'm surprised to see you so calm now. You hardly even put up your fists."

"Well, this is one battle I've let go without hurting anyone too much."

* * *

She lied.

Diana was _not_ over Clark getting married to Lois. In fact, with each passing day, it made her more worked up. _She_ wanted Clark to be with her, not with Lois. But of course, that was never going to happen.

Donna left her alone to go with Shayera, which she was fine with. Talking nonchalantly about Clark made her feel as if she was betraying her true feelings, even if it was just to make Donna feel better, which was the only reason why she had said such things to her younger sister, anyway. She didn't want her only family left (that she actually, truly cared about) and her best friend to always worry about her. She was fine, she kept telling herself.

She wasn't fine. She was nowhere near fine. She was happy for Clark, yes, but how long would she have to hide behind the wall she was slowly building for herself? Didn't see she was miserable?

_Of course not,_ Diana scolded herself. _If he did, he would have done something about it by now. But he's so in love with her that he doesn't even realize my feelings for him._

That realization made her even more despondent. It made sense that he was completely in love with her, and that only made it hurt Diana even worse. Every smile and laugh that came from Clark signified her happiness, and it intensified her depression.

_Oh, Kal,_ Diana thought as she slipped into the darkness of her room. _If you had just given me a chance…_

* * *

"Hey, Di," Clark said as he sat next to her. It was routinely for him to show up and sit next to her the cafeteria. For once, she was actually eating.

"Good afternoon, Kal," she greeted back with a smile. Clark noticed that it faltered a little. What was wrong now?

"It's good to see you actually touch the food on your plate. I was starting to get worried about you," he joked.

He saw Diana tense for a brief moment before saying, "Well, I guess I'm finally myself again. I actually have an appetite, plus I'm sick of Donna and Shayera chiding me about how I'm 'losing my figure'. I swear they want to keep me looking like an hourglass so that the male villains will gawk at me long enough for them to take on."

Clark chuckled. "Well, you are a beautiful woman. I mean, who wouldn't want to gawk at you forever?"

He realized what he was saying too late and blushed. Diana, who was currently stuffing a forkful of salad into her mouth, choked and coughed, her cheeks darkening. _Oh, God, I did NOT just say that to her,_ he thought. _Now I KNOW I'm an idiot…_

He patted Diana on the back until she stopped coughed. "Er, I didn't mean to make you choke," he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"It's fine," Diana told him, still a shade of red. Clark noticed that a gleam appeared in her eyes, something that reminded him the brash woman he missed.

"So, what are your plans for today?"

"Well, since there is a holiday for the criminals today and nobody is attacking the world, I was originally planning on training Donna for an hour or two to further improve her fighting and swordsmanship skills. Afterwards, I'm not so sure, but we were planning…" Diana bit her lip.

Clark smiled at her. "You were planning on returning to Themyscira, weren't you?"

"…We were, but I'm not too keen on returning there just yet. What will be there now? Is my mother still in the same spot she was in, or did the remains of her wither away by now? I'm afraid on seeing the changes of my homeland, and I don't anticipate the results of it."

"Di, I think you should go, if you want my opinion," Clark said. "You haven't been home since that day, and it's a reminder of who you are. You're an Amazon warrior, a princess, and most of all, a hero to everyone."

The grin Diana was sporting was so large it looked like it hurt to him. He _never_ saw her so happy in a _long_ time. "Thank you, Kal. I will go. And I'm going to be happy about it, no matter the consequences."

"Atta girl. And, if you want, I'll go with you."

The grin grew wider, if possible. "I'd love for you to. You don't know how much I appreciate you being so helpful to me."

"Di, you're my best friend. You know I'd clear my schedule for a _week_ if it meant helping you."

Now the grin _really_ looked like it hurt. "I know."

Finally, she was happy. Clark wanted to throw his hands up in the air in triumph, but settled for enjoying the everlasting happiness glowing from Diana. If she was happy, then he was happy.

* * *

Three pairs of feet touched down on Themyscira's soil. Clark nervously looked around, half-expecting a source of magic to appear. Amazons or not, the island itself was magical, and it made him uneasy.

Donna and Diana were already walking to the arena of Themyscira. Clark followed, hearing the hisses of snakes and gasping inwardly at the realization. _They_ were the Amazons that were the sisters' only family at one point. He knew it hurt to lose a family all at once, as he had lost his parents ten years before, when he was eighteen. It helped drive him to become a superhero.

As the sisters walked on, Clark noticed Donna's nervousness, as if she was afraid of the sight she'd see upon reaching the arena. He couldn't blame her, though. She was younger than Diana and therefore allowed to feel more than the older demigoddess was. She could feel fear more than Diana. She could show grief more than Diana. She could express anger more than Diana.

He knew it was torture for the older Amazon, having to be strong for Donna every time when she was hurting just as bad. He would then often try to fill the void, but then she'd use that stoic wall as a barrier and force him away. Couldn't she see that he wanted to help? What was he doing wrong?

He noticed that Diana and Donna had stopped walking and were completely still. After a moment, Donna started shaking. He peered over their shoulders and gasped.

It was Hippolyta.

She was on her knees, her face contorted in sheer horror. Her arms were stretched out, and she had her gaze upwards, as if begging someone. Clark had the feeling that Hera hadn't gone so easy on the Queen of the Amazons.

Donna sank to her knees, weeping softly. Diana knelt down to her and placed a hand on the younger Amazon's shoulder. "It's alright," she whispered soothingly. "This isn't going to be forever. I promise, Mother isn't going to be a statue forever. Even if it takes my last breath, I will revive her and the Amazons. I promise you that, and may Hera strike me down herself if I am lying."

Clark admired the courage Diana was putting up for Donna. He could see that she herself was struggling to stay strong, but everyone had a breaking point, and Diana was dangerously close to hers.

After a few minutes, Diana stood up with Donna, who was wiping the remnants of tears from her eyes. "I want to visit the palace," Diana said, already walking towards it.

Clark and Donna followed after her. Clark was curious on how much it had changed since his last visit, when he came there to alert the Queen about a foe emerging from Themyscira. He remembered it as being a perfect shade of white without any signs of thousands of years of use. It kind of reminded him of the White House in D.C., how the most important person there used it and had many loyal subjects underneath him or her.

The door creaked open, blowing a wind of dust into the three heroes' faces. Diana was the first in, followed by Donna and Clark. She walked with unusual fervor, Clark noted. It was as if she was anticipating the visit.

Of course she was. It was the room she had lived in for her entire childhood. He understood the longing of wanting to be a child again, just to have the comfort of being able to do absolutely nothing on a regular basis, just to have not a care in a world…

They stopped in front of a door. Diana placed her hand around the doorknob and twisted it, causing the door to open. All they saw was darkness, just like the rest of the palace. But all three of them had the ability to see in the dark, so it wasn't a problem for them. They could see the bed covered in a thick layer of dust from months of neglect, the traces of insects creating a home in the room's corners. Not too far from the main bed was a smaller one, one small enough for a child to lie on. Clark realized that it was for Donna when she was still living there.

"I've seen enough," Diana suddenly said, turning on her heel and walking away briskly. "Let's go. I want to get off of the island now."

"I agree," Donna chimed in, following her sister. Clark took a moment longer before walking after them. He was able to catch a glimpse of Diana's childhood, her home, and her happiness. It was something he would never forget.

The moment they were outside, Diana took off in the sky, flying away quickly. Donna and Clark shared a look. "She's discouraged, isn't she?" Clark asked.

"I'm afraid so," Donna said, frowning. "I know she came here hoping at least something had never changed, at least something had remained the same since then. But seeing the fact that all of this is slowly turning to waste, seeing it neglected, it's just too much for her to handle. And I understand it, but it still breaks my heart to see her so miserable. She just got done being that way."

"Why?"

He noticed that Donna tensed upon hearing his question. "Uh, well, it's hard to explain…"

"Tell me." It was a simple demand, and it was going to be answered one way or another. Clark was now aware of when Donna was lying. She would stall for time, and her voice would rise in pitch a tad bit. It was hardly noticeable to anyone else, but because of his his sensitive ears, he could pick it up easily.

"You wouldn't like the answer…"

"_Tell me_." His demand was getting more urgent, sterner than before. Donna visibly squirmed under his gaze, obviously uncomfortable with the answer. "You wouldn't like it," she repeated.

"I want to know what is bothering Diana."

Donna opened her mouth for a moment before promptly taking off, flying at an incredible speed. Clark just shook his head at the younger demigoddess' actions, telling himself that he would find out the answer, even if he had to do it himself. Taking one last look around the sisters' homeland, he flew off.

* * *

So, looks like Clark is hiding his own feelings. What's going to happen to him and Diana? Keep reading to find out!

Oh, and just because I've had a number of people tell me that Clark seems to idiotic for his own good, there's a reason why. For one thing, he IS in love with Lois, but he doesn't know that he loves Diana more because of his not wanting to hurt Lois by doing so, so he buried these feelings deep within himself to ensure that they wouldn't cause any harm to Lois. Also, there's more than just that...

Please review!


	5. Confession

"Do you really want to know?"

Clark looked up from his laptop. He was currently in his Clark Kent attire, wearing a simple button-up shirt and jeans. He spotted Donna floating outside the open window of the room, also wearing civilian clothes that consisted of dark jeans, black boots, and a tight black shirt. "I've been waiting for a week," he said, closing the laptop. "Why don't you come in? Lois went out with her friends for the evening, so she won't be here for a while."

Donna gently flew in, dropping softly to the floor. Clark closed the window behind her and turned to face her completely. "Alright, I want to know. What is going on with Diana?"

Donna took a deep breath. "…Do you want to hear the entire story, or just the gist of it?"

"Entire story."

"It will take some time to get through…"

"I've got all night."

Clark noticed that she seemed uncomfortable with telling him what it was. "Well, it's been going on for a few months now, so it's pretty long…"

"_Donna_." He crossed his arms over his chest, slightly glaring. "I want to know what is wrong with my friend. If you don't tell me, I'll ask Diana herself, and I'll be sure to mention that you were involved in it."

She sighed in defeat. "Fine, I'll tell you. You remember Steve, don't you? He was her first boyfriend, her supposed first love. To be truthful, she never actually loved him. It was all new to her, so she just followed his lead. As time went on, she realized what love actually meant, and thus broke up with him. They're still friends, but he's still in love with her. But they just won't get back together.

"Shortly after that, she started to fall in love—actually fall in love. It was because of her admiration and compassion of a teammate on the Justice League. He was always kind with her, not once raising his voice against her wishes and being there for her to talk to. Even when she was visibly going through problems, he listened to her. He never gave her the cold shoulder or turned his back on her.

"As time went on, Diana's feelings started to strengthen for him, becoming more and more intense. At first for me and Shayera we didn't notice, but shortly after the issue with our parentage she became withdrawn and a bit of a recluse. But with that man, she was the same, always happy, always smiling.

"But, he soon met another woman, and that broke her like a vase shattering. Now whenever she was with him she would have to force every smile, every laugh, every bit of cheerfulness just to keep him in good spirits. She continued to be selfless, sacrificing her own happiness for him. It killed her inside when the man announced that he was going to marry someone that _wasn't_ him."

Clark frowned deeply, completely floored by the information being given to him. "…You're talking about me, aren't you?"

Donna nodded. "She's madly in love with you, Clark. But she wants you to be happy, which is why she let herself suffer all this time. She told me time and time again that she wants only the best for you, but she's hurting herself. She's only adding to the grief she's been holding back ever since she was a child. She's close to breaking."

Clark discovered that he couldn't speak. Now that he thought of it, the signs _were_ there. Diana never let her misery show, yet when she was with him, it was as if that misery was gone. She always smiled around him and was certainly at her happiness. He could practically imagine the pain she felt at him finding Lois.

"But the actual problem, Clark, is _you_," Donna said.

"Me?"

"Yes, you. You are the reason why she's so miserable, because she's in love with you. But she doesn't want to interfere with your relationship with Lois. But the question is, how do _you_ feel about my sister?"

"That's easy. She's a remarkable woman. She's beautiful, intelligent, _wonderful_…"

"Clark." Donna said his name as if it were poison rolling off of her tongue. "You know what I mean by this. How do you truly feel about my sister?"

Clark ran a hand through his short hair, breathing out slowly. He took a moment to think, and he felt the feelings he had buried since he had met Lois begin to surface… "How do I feel about Diana? She's the most beautiful woman I've ever met, and the most astounding one. She's my best friend, my closest friend, and I'd do anything just to make her happy. When she smiles, the worst day in my life quickly becomes one of the best, and it's all because of her. Her laughter is like music to my ears, something that I never want to stop hearing. Her eyes, her deep blue eyes, capture anything that locks its gaze onto, swallowing them like an ocean full of perfectness…"

He noticed Donna smiling radiantly and stopped. "Too much?" he asked, feeling a little embarrassed.

"No, no, in fact, that's just what I wanted to hear." Her smile grew. "She wants to be more than friends with you, Clark. She wants to give you the world, but she can't do that without you there with her."

"I know, but what can I do? I don't want to hurt Lois…"

"You have to decide, Clark, on who you love more," Donna said, walking toward the window. "You know my sister by now. If you love Lois more, she will accept it without a problem. If you lover her more…well, I don't know what to tell you, but I do know that both of you will be immensely happy. I wish you the best of luck on your decision." With that, she flew off.

Clark sat in the chair again, burying his face into his hands. Who did he love more? Was it Lois or Diana? Lois he'd met a little over six months ago, while Diana he knew for over five years. Lois was sickly-sweet with him, while Diana was genuinely caring and understanding. Lois was short-tempered, while Diana was patient and could wait for years if she had to. Lois was a woman he recently met, while Diana was…

He stood up, quickly changing into his Superman outfit. He knew what he had to do.

* * *

So, Clark finally lets himself realize his true feelings for Diana. But what will happen between him and Lois? Let's just say that she's going to be a bitch...

Do any of you feel as if I rushed this? I do. I don't know why, but this feels as if it's too soon. I don't know.

Oh, and I still need powers for Diana. My mind's on a blank save for a few, so please, help me out here.

Thanks, and please review!

Well, this is rather short. But I promise you, it's a turning point for Clark.


	6. Truth Revealed

Oh my God, I am so sorry it took me so long to post this. It's short, but I hope you enjoy.

* * *

"So, this is all true?"

Shayera nodded. "Yes, Clark, what Donna said is true. Diana does love you dearly. But she won't interfere with your relationship with Lois, which just shows how much she cares about you. She's put on a brave face all this time just for your benefit, and it's killing her. You're something she can't have, and it's made her depressed."

Clark leaned into the chair he was sitting in, taking in the confirmation from Shayera. So, his best friend really did love him. Did he truly love her?

It was confusing for him. While he did love Lois, he felt as if she was something he was able to get, since he had before felt as if Diana was out of his league should he ever develop feelings for her. Now that he thought about it, he recalled many days feeling lonely without Diana at his side, missing his best friend, and then he met Lois…

"Clark, do you love Diana?"

He glanced at Shayera. "I…I don't know. I'm not sure. I never really gave it much thought since I found Lois."

"Well, think about it. Take your time on deciding on what to do. Diana will respect either choice." Shayera walked out of Clark's room in the Watchtower.

Clark went over the words Donna had told him earlier. He really felt like a fool for not seeing it earlier. Now that he thought of it, it was _painfully_ obvious. Now he realized why Diana got sick twice in one night when she stayed over at his house…

His eyes fell on the picture of him and Diana sitting on his desk. It was taken right after their huge battle with Darkseid five years ago, when they had just started becoming a team. It was one of the few times he had smiled after a bittersweet battle, and one of the main reasons was meeting her. Seeing her willingness to help people, to fight for those she didn't know, it made him happy. He had finally found someone like him, and it just made him happy.

A smile tugged at Clark's lips at the memory of seeing Diana come onto the scene, plowing through everything with vigor and excitement. He still remembered the words they had exchanged:

_"You're strong."_

_"I know."_

Those two words from her sparked his interest and deep caring. She was confident around anyone she met, although after the rush of things she became more modest and, to his surprise, shy. She would talk to anyone she met, but he noticed that she'd talk the less, even more so than him. To him, she was humble, another admiring factor.

The next time Clark looked up he noticed the time. Lois was expecting him to be home soon. With a last look at the picture, he zoomed out of the room.

* * *

"Good afternoon, Clark," Lois said as she pecked him on the cheek. "Are you ready for our wedding?"

Their wedding was in two weeks. To Clark's surprise, he wasn't as happy as he should have been. Subconsciously, he felt as if he was betraying someone close to him, and now he knew.

He went over the list of people that were going to show up at the wedding. "…Jimmy, Perry, Lana…" He blinked. "Uh, Lois?"

Lois peered over a pile of cards she was going to give out tomorrow. "Yes, sweetie?"

"I don't see Diana's name in here. Wonder Woman or not, she won't show if she's not invited unless it's an absolute emergency."

Clark noticed how Lois gripped the pen she was holding in her hand. "I didn't?" she said innocently.

His eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Lois, I told you to include all of my friends. _All_ of them."

"Oh, I must have miscounted when I asked you to give out the invitations."

Now he knew she was lying. "You said that you would give her the invitation personally. You said that you wanted to give Diana an interview and give it to her then."

He actually remembered the interview. Lois had asked for Diana to come back to the house, and they went into a room upstairs. He had the feeling that something would happen if he didn't listen and therefore did, occasionally tuning them out to finish a paper he had to write for the _Daily Planet_. Several times he thought he heard them begin to argue, but it was settled before he could even move.

"I did," Lois said. "It must have slipped my mind. She is such a mesmerizing person, you know?"

"Lois," Clark sighed. "I've asked you time and time again to give it to her. It couldn't have just 'slipped your mind'."

The smile on her face suddenly disappeared, being replaced with a snarl. "Why does she have to come, anyway? Don't you see her enough on the League? Why does she have to come to this?"

"Because she's my friend as has a right to want to support me."

Lois stood up, glaring. "Well, then, she can support you from her room when she watches our wedding on TV!"

Clark stood up as well. He was _not_ going to tolerate her belittling of Diana. "Lois, she is my _friend_. She's coming, whether you give the invitation to her or _I _do."

"She will _not_ come! Can't you see that she's just trying to take you away from me?"

Clark raised an eyebrow. "And just how is she trying to take me away from you?"

Lois threw her hands up in the air, frustrated at his words. "Hell, Smallville, even _I_ can see it! She _loves_ you, she wants to be _with_ you instead of _around_ you! If I weren't in the picture, she would have made a move on you months ago!"

All of that Clark already knew. "But she knows I am with you and won't impose herself onto me. She wants the best for us and _only_ the best."

He could've sworn he saw steam pour out of her ears at that moment. "Oh, come on! She's trying to persuade you into leaving me so you can be with her?"

"What?" Now Clark was taken aback. He _knew_ Diana was not the kind of person to do such a thing. "Oh, for the love of…Lois, she is _only_ a friend. She isn't the type to cause harm to a friend and someone she considers as a friend!"

Lois gritted her teeth together. "How the hell would _you_ know? You obviously haven't seen that tramp behind closed doors!"

_Tramp?_ Oh, no, that was pushing it. "How dare you call her that! She is _not _a tramp!"

"Yes she is! She is a tramp and a bitch that doesn't deserve to be happy! She is only trying to ruin our relationship!"

Clark was fuming by Lois' words. "Lois…"

"No! Do not 'Lois' me! I told her the day I met her that she's worthless and deserves to be lonely and unhappy while everyone else is!"

The anger on Lois' face disappeared immediately and was replaced with shock—shock of what she'd admitted. Clark was shocked as well, but it soon melted into his ever-growing anger. "You actually called her that?" he shouted, clenching his hands into fists. "Do you have _any_ idea how much a simple word can hurt a person? She's just as human as you are!"

"No she isn't!" Lois shouted back, her own fury returning. "She's a demigoddess—Zeus is running through her veins. And her own mother is an Amazon, and they _say_ they are superhumans, but if they were created by the gods themselves then they are anything but human! She's just another brute wishing to be amongst us!"

"_Lois_!"

Lois jumped back, startled by Clark's harsh way of saying her name. Judging by the way his face was red and how he was seconds from drilling a hole into her from his eyebeams, she knew she took it too far. "You…" he hissed. "You know _damn _well that I do _not_ abide _anyone_ talking like that about my _friend_! You have _no _right to talk about Diana that way!"

Lois made a feeble attempt to apologize, "Clark, honey, I didn't mean it…"

"You did! I know you did!" A sick realization came to him. "You said that you told her this when you met her…you're the cause of her depression! You're the reason why she hasn't been herself lately! All because of you and your stupidity that you made her physically sick!"

Clark then turned around and made his way out of the house, slamming the door shut so hard that it nearly fell off of its hinges. He heard Lois calling his name in the distance while crying loudly but ignored it and flew off.

What he didn't hear was the laughter amongst the sobs…

* * *

The moment Donna sensed Clark coming she knew something had happened. She saw Diana stand up beside her and glance towards the doorway.

They watched as Clark stormed his way into the cafeteria, fury clearly on his face. Donna and Diana shrunk back a little when he made their way over to them, but soon were surprised when he pulled the latter into a bone-crushing hug. "I'm so sorry," he said into her hair.

Diana blinked. "Clark, are you feeling alright?"

It was moments before he pulled away, and it surprised the sisters further to see tears in his eyes. "I'm so sorry about Lois. I found out what she did to you, and I'm going to fix it."

"…Clark?"

"Di, you aren't worthless. You do deserve to be happy. You deserve it all. You deserve to be the happiest woman on the face of the planet for all that you do. You make millions smile even when your own heart is breaking in two. You create hope even when you feel as if all hope is lost. You keep going even when there is no path to walk on."

Everyone in the cafeteria was staring at the pair by then. Shayera, who was on the other side, quickly crossed the space between them and stood next to Donna. "What's going on?" she whispered.

"I think Clark knows," she whispered back.

"Knows about what?"

"About how much of a bitch his fiancé is."

Before Diana could say anything Clark pulled her into another hug, feeling his tears soak into her hair. She way beyond shocked by his actions, yet also strangely…_relieved_. Upon hearing that Clark knew what had went down between her and Lois she felt as if a burden was lifted off of her. Her own tears began to flood her eyes as she closed them, taking in Clark's warmth.

"Thank you…Kal."

* * *

Yeah...like I said, it's short, but I had the _worst_ case of writer's block during half of this and also temporarily lost interest. But I'm back!

So, can anyone guess what's going on with Lois? 5 imaginary bucks to whoever guesses right!


	7. Broken

Ah, sorry it took me so long to post this. More family issues...I hope you like this chapter!

* * *

"So Lois told you everything in a fit of anger?" Diana asked, leaning against an arm.

Clark nodded, unconsciously clenching his fists. He was still immensely angry over what had transpired between him and Lois. "I'm so, so sorry that I didn't do anything sooner, Di. I wish I'd known…"

"Well, you know now, and that's all that matters." She smiled brightly at him. "I'm glad you finally did, though. I was beginning to think that you'd never know what she said to me."

He frowned. "Di, why didn't you _tell_ me?"

Her expression quickly matched his. "I didn't want to interfere into your relationship with her. You were obviously happy with your decision, and I didn't want to ruin it."

Despite his distraught over the matter, he couldn't help but admire all of the suffering Diana endured just for his happiness, though it made him feel guilty that he took this long to find out while she sank deeper and deeper…

"That may be, but you put yourself through so much just for me…If only I'd seen it sooner…"

"Clark, you had no idea that I was putting myself through this," Diana said. "You didn't know. I didn't _want _you to know."

He sighed, knowing that arguing with her would get them nowhere. The only person more stubborn than him was her. "Alright, alright." He stood up. "I'm going to go settle things between Lois and you. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Just as he started to walk away he felt Diana grab his arm and turned back to her. "Don't jeopardize your relationship with her, Clark. Try to work things out, see from her perspective. She may just be jealous of what I am, which is understandable. Just give her a chance."

Clark was shocked. He at least thought Diana would at least imply them being together, or something like that. He did _not_ expect to hear her support their relationship which he now knew was only fueling her agony. "I'll try," he said. He then walked out of the room.

* * *

The first thing Clark noticed was that all of the lights were out in the house. _That's odd,_ he thought._ Lois should still be here. I doubt she went anywhere while I was out._

He entered the house, attempting to flick on the light. When it went up nothing happened. This only added to Clark's suspicion as he instead relied on his eyesight, glancing around. He was about to head to the kitchen when he heard a noise upstairs. _That may be her. Still, gotta keep my guard up…_

He went upstairs, going to the last room down the hall. The door was shut, and as he opened it a feeling of dread traveled down his spine. However, he spotted Lois sitting in a chair, her head lowered.

Instantly he felt regret. Was their fight so horrible that she had to seclude herself from the rest of the house into the farthest room? Slowly, Clark moved closer to her, placing a hand on her shoulder when close enough. "Lois? Are you alright?"

Lois nodded weakly, sniffling. Clark's heart sank. Maybe _she_ was the one feeling regret about how she had treated Diana, not him. After all, what did he have to regret? He was defending his friend, abolishing his fiancé's lies about her. If anything, he should feel nothing but pride.

"Lois? Can you talk to me?"

Suddenly, a hand lashed out, whacking Clark across the chest. He flew into the wall, but the impact didn't hurt much—the shock that Lois, a _human_, was able to physically surprise him, a Kryptonian. Usually whenever that was attempted bones were broken, but he saw no type of damage in Lois' hand.

"You think you've won, didn't you?" Lois suddenly sneered, standing up. She had a dark look in her face, and her eyes glowed a strange gold color. "Well, let me tell you something, _Superman_. You haven't even _begun_ to realize just how wrong you are."

The room unexpectedly glowed, as well as Lois. Her hair grew even longer and lightened in color until it was a light blonde. The casual outfit Lois was wearing transformed into a pure white dress. When it finally ended, a soft golden aura surrounded the body.

Clark couldn't believe his eyes. Standing before him was none other than, "_Hera._"

Hera smirked. "That's right, Superman. It's me, the Goddess of Love and Marriage. I've done everything in my power to make your friend, Diana, suffer in any way possible."

Despite knowing that the goddess was fully capable of magic and could harm him at any given moment, he felt himself growing angry. "Why? What did she ever do to you? She _respects_ you!"

"Ah, but her mother never did. She courted herself to my husband, Zeus, and Diana became the result of their many nights of passion. Hippolyta had done a good job hiding this from me, saying that Diana was created from clay and granted life from the goddesses and Hermes, but I eventually found out, and Hippolyta paid the price for it."

"So why does Diana have to suffer for her mother's mistakes?"

Hera chuckled. "Because she's my husband's _daughter_. She's a demigoddess fully capable of controlling her father's powers to become even stronger than he is. There is a prophecy amongst the Greek gods, saying that one of us is going to be killed by a lesser child of Zeus. It was said that the child would be a female that was raised to be a warrior in every means necessary, and guess who is the only one that fulfills this part of the prophecy?"

Clark gasped. Diana was _destined_ to kill a god, her deity? _What _was going on? "How can you be certain that it's her? How do you know that the child isn't born yet?"

"The prophecy says that the child is already born, Superman. There is only one warrior demigoddess born a bastard from my husband's affairs, and it all points to her. But, I don't want this to happen, which is why I intervened."

"So what does making her suffer have to do with making sure this doesn't become true?"

Hera smirked again. "You really are an idiot, aren't you? Diana fights for her friends and those innocent and dear to her. Her heart is in the right place, and so is her mind, but what if both became corrupted enough to make her change that? There is only so much tragedy and heartbreak a person can take, even if that person is a demigoddess. I've ironically turned her mother into what she thought she was, turned the Amazons into snakes, and so, so much more that you don't even know about. She's kept a cheerful façade to steer everyone away from noticing her troubles, and that includes putting up with you, Superman. As you know, she loves you to death, but your engagement to Lois Lane only plummeted her pain further."

Clark frowned. "What did you do to Lois, anyway?"

"Oh, she's still here. I possessed her body, and in fact I still am. To anyone else I appear as Lois, and to your eyes I currently appear as Hera. Not even Diana could pinpoint me."

Clark didn't like the sound of that. There had to be a reason why she'd only appear to him…

"Speaking of which, I'm going to use you to break Diana further, Superman. You're one of the few things that she is truly close to, the other being Donna and her friend Shayera."

"You're going to use me?"

Hera nodded. "So, just hold still for a moment…"

Clark tried to dart out of the room, but Hera sensed it and used her magical powers to pin him against the wall, rendering him immobile. As he stared at her in horror, she moved closer, closer, _closer…_

* * *

Clark couldn't move on his own. He couldn't speak on his own. The only thing he could do was watch on his own, and that was by far the most painful thing Hera had granted him. She had possessed his body as well and was now back in the Watchtower, leading him straight to Diana's room. The mere fact that Hera, a powerful magical goddess, was residing in him scared him to no end, but it scared him more what she had planned.

He stopped in front of Diana's door, shouting her name instead of knocking. He heard a gasp before the door suddenly opened, revealing a flustered Diana. "Kal! Is something wrong?" she asked, looking worried.

_You're going to want to watch, Superman, _Hera cackled.

Clark just stared menacingly at Diana, his eyes red. The look on Diana's face told him that it was starting to frighten her. "Kal?" she called weakly.

Before she could move, his hand crashed against her body, throwing her to the other side of the room. He stepped in and closed the door before melting the seal with his heat vision. He then turned back to Diana, who had her own hand against the side of her face. In her eyes he could see anger and confusion, but what lied underneath bothered him the most: _pain_.

She stood up, glaring at Clark. "What is your problem? Why did you just hit me?" she demanded.

"Because I'm tired of you," he said, or really what Hera made him say. He wanted to warn Diana by blinking, moving his fingers, _anything_, but all he could do was watch. Hera's sadistic laughter beside him didn't help, either.

"Tired of me? Just an hour ago you told me that you were trying to help me! What happened between you and Lois?"

"It's none of your business what happened between me and my fiancé." He saw her wince a little.

"Kal, what's going on? Why are you talking like this?"

Clark quickly blurred in front of her, grabbing her by the neck and hoisting her in the air. "Don't you get it? _I don't like you_. I don't want to be friends with you anymore."

He could practically see her heart breaking. "But…but why? What did I do wrong?"

"Everything! You're a menace to society, Diana. You are half Amazon, the most powerful human race in probably the entire universe, and half _god_. You have _Zeus' _blood running through you, and you have the potential to become even _stronger_ than I am. If I were to become evil, only _you _would be able to stop me, but who's to say the same for _you_?"

"…Are you accusing me of changing sides? Kal, I am on the Justice League and nothing else! I will _never_ change for the worse!"

He tightened his hold to the point that she was having difficulty breathing properly. "Did I ask you what you were? No, so shut up and listen to me. I know all about you now. You think you're high and mighty just because you're a demigoddess and have a powerful army tucked under your belt should you ever be retaliated against. You have a family, a _god_ family, that will protect you to no end just because you're one of them now. So what does that make the rest of us? Are we now considered dirt because of your new status?"

Diana quickly shook her head. "No! You're my _friend_, Kal! I was _never _above you! I'm _equal_ to you and the rest of the League!"

"No. Donna is, considering that she's the equivalent of my cousin, Kara. If anything happens to either of them they can be controlled, but you, Diana, can't be. You're on par with me in speed, strength, and even higher in wisdom and intelligence. Besides, you're still _developing._ Who knows what power you may possess tomorrow?"

"I can control it," Diana said. "I've controlled the others I've gotten so far. What's the difference for future ones?"

"You don't know what you may possess," Clark said. "Your father is the god of lightning and the sky. He can kill a person with a flick of his finger, and from what I've heard you almost destroyed one of your siblings in a battle when you _willingly_ let your power limiters come off. If you were to hurt your own _family_ by choice, who's to say you won't hurt anyone else?"

The look on Diana's face nearly killed Clark. "How dare you?! Am I only a savage beast to you? Do I look like an animal trying to burst out of her cage to turn against the people that had welcomed her in the first place?"

He felt Hera's magic continue to work on him, and unwillingly he said, "Yes, you are. In fact, that's not all you are."

Her blue eyes suddenly went dull with fear. "And just what else am I to you?"

He sneered at her as he moved closer to her face until they were only an inch apart. "…Nothing. You're absolutely nothing to me. You're a worthless, weak woman that should have been killed off with the rest of her people."

_No! Diana, please don't believe it!_

Any fight that was in Diana at that moment died, and she instantly went limp in his grip. "…Worthless?" she repeated weakly, gazing up at Clark. "I'm really worthless to you?"

"Yes, you are. In fact, I don't even need you here. You can go rot in whatever hell you believe in for all I care." He threw her to the ground. "See you around, _bastard_."

He walked out of the room. When he was down the hall he picked up the most saddest thing in the world: Diana's crying.

_What have I done?_

* * *

So, there you have it. It's actually Hera possessing Lois. In case anyone's wondering why, Hippolyta, Diana's mother, slept with Zeus, Hera's wife, and had his child. Hurt by her husband's infidelity, she turned Hippolyta into clay and the Amazons into snakes. This part is actually canon in the _Wonder Woman_ comic.

And again, sorry for the long wait. My family is a _mess_. Because of it, my drive to write this literally died for a while, and I just got it back after rereading the reviews telling me how good I am at writing this and that they hoped to see a new update soon. Thanks, by the way.

Please review!


	8. Powers Awakened

About time my drive's back. I'm _so _grateful for all of the comments supporting me when I said that my family is a mess. Honestly, you have no idea how much simple words can brighten up someone's mood, and I thank you for that.

This chapter, however, kind of reflects my mood, so if it's a little dark, sorry about that. But I'm getting better, so that's a good thing. Enjoy!

* * *

_Cold…so cold…_

Diana was curled into a ball on the floor, crying silently. What had she done wrong? Why was Clark, her closest friend, suddenly against her? Why did he hate her?

It wasn't fair. Just a while ago Clark was holding her in his arms, apologizing profusely for not knowing the situation earlier. Five minutes ago the same man just called her worthless and that she was nothing to him…

All Diana wanted was to be happy, so why did she deserve to go through so much heartache? She was just trying to promote peace and harmony in a world that only knew how to settle its problems by violence, yet she had to pay the price for her work. First her sister, then her mother and the Amazons, many other things, and now this? _Why_ did the fates have so much hate for her?

…Was she really that useless to everyone? Was reality trying to prove its point to her? _Maybe it is,_ she thought, curling tighter into a ball. _Maybe what he said was the truth. maybe I am worthless…maybe I am just nothing…_

At that moment, all of her grief, from the moment she lost her sister ten years ago to now came to the surface. She had ten years' worth of pain locked away inside of her…it was too much. It was way too much…she was so lonely and hurt…

Despite her sorrow she refused to let herself feel the well-deserved relief of sobbing uncontrollably. She knew that with being a hero there would be moments where she would be completely happy and completely miserable. She just didn't think that it would get _this_ bad. Even so, she refused to sink to that level of crying as if there was no hope left…even though there wasn't.

Diana glanced up, her eyes happening to fall on a picture of her and Clark together. Barry had managed to convince the League to take a week vacation, which surprisingly went uninterrupted. All of them had managed to convince Clark and Diana to change into bathing suits and then pose for a few rare shots. When they thought no one was looking, both went into the water and literally splashed around, pure happiness emitting from both superheroes. Donna took a picture of Clark lifting Diana in the air preparing to throw her in the water, and another when both were covered in head to toe in seaweed after an intense water fight. Diana had both pictures with her since that day.

Before, the sight would bring a smile on her face, but now it only brought more misery on her part. She suddenly felt overwhelmed with everything that had happened to her and she stood up, grabbing the picture. Gritting her teeth, she threw it at the wall and watched it as it shattered to bits. However, the picture itself remained, watching her, _mocking her…_

Diana collapsed back onto her knees, grabbing the picture in her shaking hands. She opted to tear the picture in two and gripped both ends, but a part of her shouted at her not to. What was she to do? What _could_ she do at this point?

All she wanted was to be happy. Was that too much to ask?

_It has to be,_ she thought sadly, feeling more tears slip down her cheeks. _Everything I try to get close to eventually works against me. I reconcile with my mother and she's turned into clay. I save millions from being destroyed and they reprimand me because of my status as a demigod. I let myself suffer to keep my friend's relationship from being ruined, and he turns against me…_

Yet the picture in her hands reminded her of the good times she had with Clark, explaining why a part of her didn't want to get rid of it. They were both so happy…

A terrifying thought came to Diana: what if he _faked_ it the entire time? What if he faked his friendship with her just for that moment? What if he _knew_ that she was putting herself through all of this and wanted to push the nail in?

Diana started to tremble at her theory. Rational thinking had gone through the window the moment Clark had put his hands on her, and now she could only _what if_ everything. Despite the little clear thoughts she had told her otherwise she began to think that what she thought _was_ true.

The picture slipped through her fingers as she once again curled into a ball on the floor, hating herself completely. _Cold…so cold…_

* * *

The moment Clark was a good length away from the Watchtower Hera let him go. She materialized in front of him, smirking in triumph. "Well, Superman, that went much better than I expected," she cackled.

Rational thinking was also something Clark didn't have at the moment. Hera had used him to finally break Diana. He, her best friend, had been the final blow. He could still pick up on her crying, but tuned it out. It was _not_ something he wanted to be reminded right now. "If you weren't a god I'd wipe that smirk off of your face," he growled through clenched teeth.

"But I am," she said, still smirking. "And therefore you can't hurt me. I know your weakness is magic, and guess what I specialize in? I can give you a literal Kiss of Death."

"Touch me and I'll give you a World of Pain." Clark was serious in every way. God or not, everyone had a weakness, and he'd do everything in his power to find it. But it wasn't his main priority at the time. He wanted to go to Diana to tell her that he was possessed by Hera to hurt her and turned around…

"If you're going to go to Diana to tell her that you were being controlled by me," Hera suddenly said, "you're wasting your time."

Clark turned to face Hera. "What do you mean?"

"I'm using my powers to magically alter her appearance of you, so that everything you say to her is twisted around greatly. A simple hello could sound like 'go to hell'. Even if you managed to penetrate that barrier, I could possess you at any given moment and once again twist your words around. Let's say you explained yourself and went in to hug her. I could take over and make you punch her so hard that it leaves a bruise, and it would only confuse her further."

Clark stared at Hera in disbelief. Was the goddess _that_ willing to bring Diana so much sorrow? "She's never done anything wrong! Why are you so cruel to someone that only gives you respect and admiration?"

"Because she's my husband's daughter, Superman." Hera started to fade. "Have fun with my stepdaughter now. I can't _wait_ to see how you manage to humiliate yourself and her the next time you two come in contact!"

Clark glared at the fading goddess before taking off, flying back to the Watchtower. He had to find someone…

* * *

"You did _what _to my sister?!"

Clark put his hands up in defense. "Hey, I told you I was possessed by Hera. She's magical, and I'm vulnerable to magic. Believe me when I say that I tried my best to stop her, but I just couldn't."

Donna banged her fist against the wall of her bedroom, a deep frown on her face. Of course Hera had a hand in causing Diana more pain. If she could she would've been more than happy to give Hera a taste of her own medicine, but Hera was tricky and sneaky. It could easily backfire on her and only cause more harm than good.

"So go talk to her then, explain what happened," she said. "She will understand if you mention that Hera had controlled you. We're quite familiar with her antics."

Clark sighed. "I…I can't."

"And why not? Don't tell me that you've suddenly become a coward, Clark, just because you made my sister unhappy. If that is so, then I myself will make you experience the same thing."

"No! I'm _not _a coward! It's just that Hera put a spell on Diana so that whenever I try to talk to her it sounds the opposite of what I'm trying to say. And even if I managed to break through that she could possess me and make me turn against Diana once again, and I _don't_ want to give Diana a reason to hate me anymore than she does now."

"She doesn't hate you," Donna said. "She _can't _hate you. She's _upset_ with you, and that's it. Hatred is a powerful emotion, and the only thing she truly hates is the fact that she missed out on ten years of my life due to our mother's mistakes, even though it saved me in the end. She can't even hate _Zeus_, our father, because even though his visits are scarce and rare, during those few moments we're with him he's shown that he really does care for us, even though she's tried to tell herself otherwise."

"So what do I do?" Clark asked, feeling defeated. There was nothing he could do to help Diana…

"Luckily, I'm experienced with Hera's cruel pranks," Donna told him. "What she doesn't know is that the more she tries to ruin a person's life the more she gives them information on how her powers work. You told me that her spell twists your words around negatively, right? So why not speak badly to her? That would turn your words into _positive _ones."

Clark couldn't believe it. "Why didn't I think of that?"

"It's nothing to be ashamed of, Clark. You were manipulated by Hera to do her bidding. Magic is your weakness."

"But still, even if I do go through with this, Hera will possess me again."

Donna smirked. "Leave that to me. I can sense when a god is around, and I can distract her long enough so you can get what you need to say to Diana out." She turned to the door. "Let's go."

But before either one of them could move, Donna sensed a _powerful_ burst of energy coming from within the Watchtower. It continued to grow, nearly overwhelming Donna's senses. Then a blur of colors shot past her open bedroom door and through a window in the hall, but it didn't break. Whatever it was had moved so quickly that it managed to vibrate through it.

Clark was shocked at what he saw. "What was that?"

Donna stared at the window in complete surprise. "It's…it's Diana! Our father's powers has finally awakened in her!"

* * *

Yup, Diana's powers radiating from Zeus has finally surfaced. How, you may ask? Let's just say that complete misery is another factor for awaking powers...

And again, thank you for the posts regarding my family. It hasn't cleared up yet-in fact got worse-but I myself am starting to feel better. I'm glad to see that people can truly be kind, even though you don't even know that person.

Please review!


	9. Pushed to the Limit

It's official, I'm back! Thank you all for the support, it really means a lot to me! I put a lot of work into this chapter. In fact, it's my favorite thus far!

* * *

Zeus sensed a great disturbance all of a sudden. It was as if a surge of power erupted out of nowhere like a volcano. Where was it coming from?

It occurred to him that the power held similarity to his, which indicated that it came from one of his own. But which one? Who was generating so much energy in a matter of mere moments?

He looked into the pool of water that sat in front of his throne. He used it to watch the world, mostly his children and their foes. He glanced at it, watching it form into a picture. He saw a blur of movement zipping around the Earth, which consisted of red, white, and blue. There was a large concentration of lightning emitting from it as well…

Zeus gasped as realization hit him. It was Diana! But why did she tap into her father's powers? From what he knew, she vowed to _never_ use it unless she absolutely had no other choice, yet he saw no current threat to the world. A closer look told him that she still had _on_ her power limiters.

His eyes widened in fear. How did she manage to override the limitations? Only one other being had managed to do that, and it was under complete anger and sorrow…

…No…she couldn't be…

* * *

Clark flew as fast as his body allowed him to, which was humiliatingly slower than usual. Because of Hera, her magic had affected him to the point that his powers weren't at their best. But it didn't keep him from searching for Diana, which was painfully obvious. Whenever she flew over land she would leave behind huge gusts of wind; whenever she flew over water she would create trenches due to her high speed.

_She wouldn't be so obvious if she weren't so angry,_ he thought ruefully. He shouldn't have allowed Hera to take over him. It was all his fault, he decided. It had to be. Diana was now running amuck, her powers running haywire because of her emotions. She probably had no control over what she was doing, either, because of it.

"I see her!" Donna suddenly shouted, pointing at a glowing streak ahead of them. "Come on, we have to move faster!"

Clark pushed himself to his absolute power, picking up speed. It didn't surprise him that Diana had also gained more speed from tapping into Zeus' energy inside of her; it actually frightened him. Despite hating what Hera had done to him, some of her words made sense: what if Diana _did_ manage to be controlled? It was one thing to try to be talked into becoming evil; it was another thing to actually be _forced_ into working for the other side. And even though she was highly unlikely to become either, there were a few out there that could actually manage to bring that image to reality.

"Clark! Pay attention!" Donna yelled at him, glaring at him out of the corner of her eye. "I swear to the gods if we don't catch her, it'll be your head I'm cleaving off!"

"I'm paying attention!" he yelled back. They were gaining on Diana. In normal circumstances Diana would've been out of normal vision, but because of their desperateness to catch up to her, both of them pushed themselves to their absolute limit. They'd be damned if they failed.

"Diana, stop!" Clark shouted.

To his surprise, she did, so abruptly that both Donna and Clark sped past her for a moment. Clark only had enough time to turn around before he saw Diana crash into him, knocking him into a nearby mountain. Grunting, he glanced up to see her floating above him, her eyes pure white and emitting bolts of lightning. In fact, her entire body seemed to be radiating lightning.

"You!" she cried, glaring menacingly at him. "You want me to keep going and never return? Is hat how you really feel about me?"

He stood dumbfounded for a moment before remembering that whatever he said was twisted around into something else. "No, I didn't…"

She punched him in his face, causing him to sink deeper into the ground. He managed to catch himself and dodge another attack from her, flying high into the air. Donna then tried to catch her by surprise by coming from behind and wrapping her arms around her neck, but all she managed to do was anger the older demigoddess. Diana grabbed Donna's arms and threw her to the ground as if she was a mere stone being flicked into water.

Clark tried to get Diana with a kick, but she caught his leg and hurled him further into the sky. Just when he started to slow down she flew into him with so much force that she flung him into space.

_Since when did she get so strong?_

He knew that the deep vacuums of space were nothing to a Kryptonian, but it was another thing for a human. He had always questioned how Diana, despite being human—or now half-human—always managed to survive the deoxygenated air in spite of having lungs.

As he saw her charging at him for another attack, it hit him—gods didn't _need_ to breathe. They _chose_ to. Diana _and_ Donna didn't _have_ to breathe, but because they were so used to it that they thought it was a necessity. Countless times they had gone underwater into the ocean with him the only one not wearing a breathing device of some sort. But if she chose to, she'd be just as fine and comfortable without it as he was.

He saw Donna coming up behind Diana, grabbing a leg and tossing her further into space similar to how Diana had with Clark moments ago. Visibly angry, the older Amazon turned and started going against Donna, throwing punch after punch. Donna tried vainly to fight back, but she was no match for the overpowered woman.

Clark tried to call Donna's name to tell her to take off _her_ bracers for a more even fight, but discovered that his own voice didn't carry. Once again dumbfounded, he realized that they were in _space_—space didn't have the necessary air particles to let sound waves travel.

And Diana seemed content with staying in space.

Cursing under his breath, he flung himself at Diana, knocking her away for a brief moment. He used the little time he had to slip off Donna's bracers, ignoring the questioning and frightened look he got from her. When he pointed to Diana, who was quickly recovering from the assault, she nodded in understanding and allowed it. Moments later her own eyes glowed like her father's, small streaks of lightning shooting out of them. She turned to face Diana and charged after her.

_You think you could get away with this, didn't you?_

Clark froze, and it wasn't from the subzero temperatures, either. It was _that_ voice. _Hera. What do you want?_

Everything suddenly stopped. He saw Diana and Donna suddenly freeze in time. Both women were a fraction of a second from punching each other. He then saw something materialize in front of him and glared at it. "Why are you here?" he demanded viciously.

Hera smirked. "Did you honestly think you'd be able to get through to her by speaking in a positive manner? Please, Superman, I'm the _Queen_ of the Gods. I see through any folly you may set yourself up for."

Clark gasped. "But you said that everything I said was twisted around to her."

"That's correct. But who said that any of it would turn _positive_? Believe me when I say that whatever you tell her _will_ be twisted around, but I never mentioned that saying something bad to her would sound good to her ears. Oh no, it'd only make it _worse_."

To say that Clark was angry is an understatement. He felt as if he wanted to grab the entire Earth and hurl it at Hera. "So you made sure that there's no way I can get through to her? So then what's the point of pushing her into a rage-induced god mode?"

Hera's smirk grew. "Her body isn't used to being handled by her father's power, Superman. Unlike her brother Heracles, she hardly ever lets herself get used to the overwhelming power of a god. All her life she's worn the power limiters to keep it in check, which is why the longer she went without using it the more dangerous it became when she _did_."

Clark didn't understand. "How? Isn't her power similar to Captain Marvel or anyone else that gets an upgrade whenever they call upon it?"

The goddess sighed in irritation. "You really are an idiot. For one thing, the Marvel family all consists of teenagers. While Captain Marvel and Mary Marvel transform into adults, Captain Marvel Jr. remains a teen. However, he is crippled and thus ultimately advances greatly whenever he calls upon his powers. My point is that their normal bodies can't withstand the rush of power, so they change to handle it better.

"And as you can see, Diana's only change is her eyes, which doesn't help much. She's literally breaking her body down because of it. With every attack, every punch or kick she makes she's straining her body further. If you don't believe me, use your x-ray vision to look."

The two sisters were suddenly in motion again. Blinking, Clark realized that neither he nor Hera were visible at the moment. He used his vision to glance at Donna's body first. He could see that her body was working faster than normal, but it was only because of her fighting Diana and was normal. She was visibly holding back on her power. Looking at Diana, he almost gasped. The older demigoddess was pushing her body to dangerous limits; her heart was beating rapidly to keep up with her movements, her muscles were being overworked, and more. Even her cells were recreating themselves faster than usual.

"Hera, you must stop this!" he screamed at the goddess. "If this keeps up, she'll die!"

"That's what I'm aiming for, Superman. She's close to a heart attack, or a seizure, or a physical breakdown, or a dozen of other things that can happen to her. All she needs to do is push herself a little further…"

"NO!" Clark punched Hera with all his might, effectively making himself visible again. With all of his might, he lunged at Diana, throwing themselves back onto Earth. They entered the exosphere, the thermosphere, the mesosphere, the stratosphere, the troposphere…

The duo crashed into Earth as a ball of fire, landing in a remote area of the Artic. Ice cracked around them for miles as they slowly came to a stop, Clark pinning Diana down. "Diana! You have to snap out of it!" he screamed at her. He knew it was a lost cause; she growled and pushed him away with her foot, getting to her feet.

Clark did the same, dreadfully looking at her. His fear was spiked to new levels when a streak of blood tricked down the side of her mouth. Using his x-ray vision again he saw that her lungs, which she was now using, were starting to crush themselves. He could see her heart pumping even faster and was on the verge of shutting down completely.

She charged at him by flying at top speed. He caught her by the wrists and flung her around in a circle, picking up speed until he suddenly let go. She hit an iceberg and sank into the ocean.

Clark sighed, breathing heavily. This was too much for him to handle. How was he going to convince Diana to stop before she…?

_Wait a minute._ He felt something cold in his hands and looked. His eyes widened in horror the moment he did. He was holding onto Diana's bracers!

He didn't remember seeing her with the choker or armband today, either…

"Clark!" a voice shouted. He looked up to see Donna floating above him, a worried expression on her face. The bracers were back on her wrists. "What happened to Diana?"

He merely held up the pair he had. "They kind of slipped off of her…"

"You didn't…"

The part of the ocean that Diana had fallen in was abruptly enveloped in a glowing white light. The ground shook underneath them for a brief moment before Diana promptly shot out of the water, landing several meters away from them. It had begun to snow violently, which only made Diana's features appear even more feral. Clark could've sworn that her eyes were now a tint of red.

"Damn, you unleashed all of her power!" Donna cried, backing away.

Underneath Clark's fright was deep worry. Not only were Diana's eyes now slightly glowing red, but her entire body was a dark peach color. He could see her blood circulating faster and faster to the point that her veins were bulging through her skin, visibly pulsing. She coughed, and a wad of blood came out of her mouth.

Donna paled. "Did she just…?"

"To make a long story short, her body is breaking down because she isn't used to this power," Clark explained.

Diana suddenly came at him, roaring savagely. She swarmed Clark with a barrage of attacks, stopping only when he managed to get a punch in that knocked her back for a few seconds. However, she quickly recuperated and pounced on him, pinning him to the ground.

"You think you can hurt me and get away with it?!" she screeched, glaring madly at him. "Obviously you have _no_ idea what I am. I'm an _Amazon_, a warrior, and a hero! I fight to _win_!"

Clark decided that not speaking was better than actually doing it. At least this way it wouldn't give her another reason to think he hated her, which he didn't.

Diana lifted him by the neck, a sneer on her face. "Remember this? This happened not too long ago. It was how you held me while you criticized me for absolutely no reason!"

Unlike what he had done, she had a death grip on him, keeping him from breathing at all. He gasped as he tried to claw at her hand, but it wouldn't even budge.

She curled her free hand into an unforgiving fist, lifting her arm. Right before she could strike, however, something plowed into her from the side and caused her to let go of Clark. He fell to his knees, gasping for air.

"Clark! Are you alright?" Donna asked, kneeling down beside him. "I managed to get her away. Come on, we have to…!"

A loud scream interrupted Donna. Both of them saw Diana clutching her bracers, breathing heavily. It looked as if she was attempting to put them back on…

_Crunch!_

Both Clark and Donna gasped. Diana had literally _crushed_ the bracers in her hands! "I thought they were unbreakable!" Clark shouted.

"Only Zeus' power can break them because of it being from a material he gifted himself," Donna said. "Guess what she's under the influence of right now?"

Diana slowly picked herself up, standing wobbly on her feet. Clark saw that her muscles were finally starting to give out from the constant strain. _She's going to die if she keeps this up,_ he thought desperately.

"Diana, listen to me! You have to stop this! Can't you see that you're only hurting yourself?" Donna cried. "If you continue with this, you're going to kill yourself!"

"Shut up, traitor! How dare you say that you don't care whether I die or not! You _want _me to kill myself?"

Donna's expression mirrored the one Clark had earlier before they both realized what was going on:

_The spell extended to everyone._

"Oh, this is not good," Donna whimpered. "I can't say anything to her, either!"

"Then let's not talk then! We have to restrain her!" Clark said, flying towards Diana. She tried to hit him again, but he grabbed ahold of her shoulders and pushed her to the ground, hearing the ice crack once more underneath their combined weight and the pressure that he was forcing upon Diana to keep her from getting up.

"Get off of me, you traitor!" she shrieked. "I don't want to hear any more of your trash talk! I'm done with listening to you!"

Clark couldn't stand it anymore. He had to _try_ to reach out to her. He _had_ to. "Diana, listen to me! You have to stop! You're damaging your body to beyond repair! If you keep this going, you're going to _die_!"

"Shut up! I've had enough of your…" The glare that had settled into Diana's eyes suddenly faded. Her incensed sneer fell from her face as she suddenly started clutching at her chest, coughing up blood.

"Diana!"

She started trembling, a choked moan escaping her throat. The trembling grew more and more violent before she abruptly screamed.

Then nothing.

Clark's eyes widened as he gently shook Diana, who now had her eyes closed. "Diana, Di, wake up," he pleaded. "Please, wake up!"

He heard Donna gasp from behind him but didn't look up. He had to wake Diana up. She couldn't be dead, she couldn't be…

He realized too late the glowing light similar to the one they had seen Diana make in the water surround them. It grew brighter and brighter until suddenly going out, but it didn't matter anymore.

They were no longer on Earth.

* * *

Didn't expect this, did you? I'm just full of surprises.

Let me explain a few things. For Diana, it was stated and in her _Wonder Woman_ current comic that her bracers limit her father's powers. So far they've only been off once, and when that happened her eyes and entire outfit's seams glowed white. However, once the battle she was in was over she was quick to put the bracers back on. I wondered why, and it hit me-she isn't used to the power! Like I stated in the chapter, the Marvel Family all consists of teens, and their bodies change to accommodate the sudden power rush. But hers doesn't change, thus the reason why her body breaks down somewhat gradually. It'd be gradual if she maintained a constant rate of power, but she pushed herself to her absolute limit because of her anger, which was a thousand times' more than what she's normally used to.

Second, I honestly have no idea whether Clark breathes or not. There have been instances in comics where he's had no type of helmet whatsoever when he was underwater or in space, and times where he had an entire body suit or oxygen tank with a helmet to help him breathe. So i'm just going to make him able to pull the little oxygen out of air from space, as there is a tiny, almost nontracable amount up there, but of course Superman can do it.

Speaking of which, I'm also not positively sure whether or not Diana and Donna can breathe in space or underwater or not, either. Like Clark, they've varied between suits and absolutely nothing. I've also seen Diana wear earrings that help her breathe underwater and in space, but there were instances where the earrings were noticably gone, yet she still didn't need them. I'm just going to attribute this to the fact that they're half-god.

Thanks for reading! Any other questions just ask!


	10. Despair

Yup, it's another chapter! I'm afraid you guys may hate me because of it! But I promise you, it's good!

* * *

_Darkness was all that Clark could see. For miles on end all that stretched on was a never-ending sea of gloominess. Glancing down at his body, he saw that his own clothes changed to a shade of black._

_He was a failure. He failed to save Diana from death. Even though his best friend was visibly suffering, he let her deal with it all alone. He let her deal with the pain of loving his best friend that was with someone else. He ignored the fact that she also had human needs, strong as she may be. But he never even gave her the attention that she needed._

_Worse than that, he let Hera, the Queen of the Gods, take over his body to further hurt Diana. He pushed her over her limits. He made her think that he felt absolutely nothing for her, as a partner, as a friend, as a comrade, nothing. The last thing she heard from him was nothing but bad things._

_"Oh, Di," Clark whispered into the nothingness, letting a tear slip from his eye. "I'm so sorry that I failed you. I wish I can bring you back, but I can't. I just can't. I'm so sorry…"_

_He was pathetic._

_Nothing else mattered. Absolutely nothing else mattered to him anymore. What was the point? His vow was to protect the innocent from harm, and he let the closest person to him, filled with nothing but innocence and purity, get hurt for something she didn't CHOOSE to do. She never asked for this. She never asked to come out into "Man's World". She never asked to deal with Earth's problems and wars._

_Clark closed his eyes. It wasn't fair, it just wasn't fair…_

_"Kal…"_

_His eyes snapped open. He could've sworn he heard a voice…_

_"Kal, it's me…"_

_A light started to materialize in front of him. In the light formed a body with long hair and soft blue eyes._

_Clark couldn't believe his own eyes. "Diana, it's you…"_

_Diana smiled gracefully. She was wearing a pure white gown similar to those the gods wore, and her body continued to glow softly when the light that she came in disappeared. "Yes, it's me, Kal. I'm right here. Look," she spread her arms, "I'm finally light. No longer am I burdened with the task of being a human with godlike abilities. I'm finally free."_

_Clark's eyes watered, and a moment later the tears fell without any resistance. He put his arms around Diana, taking in her scent. "Thank God you're alright," he smiled, hugging her tightly. He felt as if he never wanted to let go._

_He could now._

_Diana wrapped her own arms around him, completing the hug. "I'm alright, Kal. I'm no longer in pain. I'm free…"_

_"Clark?"_

_He heard a voice in the distance but ignored it. He was with Diana finally, and she was truly happy. He could stay in oblivion forever._

_"Clark!"_

_He gasped when Diana started to fade in his arms. When he tried to scream her name, no sound came out…_

"Clark!"

His eyes snapped open as he sat up, breathing heavily. Donna was sitting in front of him, a look of relief on her face. "What…what happened?" he asked, putting a hand to his head.

"Look for yourself," she said, pointing to the side. Clark looked to see Hera standing a few feet away, watching the two of them. It took him a moment to realize that he was quite literally caged, but knew it wasn't an ordinary cage. It glowed dimly, indicating its magical properties. Glancing around, he noticed that they were in total darkness…just like his dream.

"About time you roused from your slumber, Superman," Hera said. Clark expected to see her angry from when he hit her, but she appeared completely relaxed. There wasn't even a bruise on her face.

"Where's Diana?" Donna demanded, her and Clark getting to their feet.

A smirk stretched the goddess' lips. With a wave of her hand, Diana appeared. She was being held up completely by magic, her head, arms and legs hanging limply. She was still a peach color…

"Is…is she dead?" Donna asked feebly, fearing the answer.

Hera shook her head. "No, my dear, she isn't. She _did_ die, but she's back because of me. You see, I decided that death is too light a punishment for her, for all she would do is come here in spirit and still fulfill the prophecy. So I'm going to torture her, break her more than she already is now."

Clark's eyes widened. "No, she's already been through enough. Can't you let her go now?"

The goddess shook her head. "No, Superman, I can't. You see, an Amazon's willpower is much, much higher and stronger than the average human's. Even though they can fall in the deepest depths of depression and sorrow, they will always return. And I plan to make sure that it can't happen."

With that, Hera snapped her fingers together right before disappearing, and Diana fell to the floor. She groaned, sitting up slowly and putting a hand to her head. "Where am I?" she whispered softly to herself. Her eyes returned to their normal blue color.

She suddenly clutched at her chest, gasping for air. Clark used his vision to see that her body was now working at normal speed, but the damage was already done. Her muscles were strained to almost beyond repair, her heart was visibly stressed, and nearly every other organ was injured. He saw that the simple act of standing up was immensely painful to her.

"Who's done this? Show yourself, coward!"

_"Am I really the one that's the coward?"_

Clark gasped. Hera was still speaking. "How am I a coward?" Diana demanded, clenching her hands into fists. "I can bear the entire weight and pressure of being the savior of this world! How is that cowardly?"

The voice chuckled. _You can withstand the weight of the world, but can't even control your own life."_

Diana gasped. "I can control my own life!"

_"Really? Then look down at your wrists."_

Clark listened to the shriek of surprise when Diana looked. The bracers were gone, since she had crushed them during her rage. "My bracers! What happened to them?"

_"You demolished them when your anger got the best of you. You managed to override the limitations of them and tapped into your father's power stored away within you. But because you chose to do so, you also managed to break your body down to dangerous levels. You're reckless, Diana."_

"I am not reckless!"

_"Superman seems to think so."_

The gasp Diana gave made Clark look away. There was no point in wondering how she couldn't see him or Donna, given that Hera had already used a spell to hide him from view a short while ago. He looked to his left to see Donna clutching the bars of the cage, her grip so tight that her hands trembled. It appeared that she also knew it was no use in trying to get Diana's attention.

"What do you know about Kal? He's my best friend!"

_"He vividly stated that he wants nothing else to do with you. Are you actually considering that to be what friends say to each other?"_

Diana growled. "No! You have no idea what's going on!"

_"I do. Superman wants nothing to do with you anymore. He hates you. Everyone hates you."_

"That's a…" She paled visibly. "…Did you just say that everyone hates me?"

_"They do. It's painfully obvious."_

Diana quirked an eyebrow. "And how is that?"

The voice snorted. _"Please, it is evident that the entire population of the Earth hates you. They are afraid of you. You harness the energy of Zeus, the most powerful god. You've managed to crush your virtually indestructible bracers under immense anger. If you were to take your anger out on the world, you'd be the cause of human extinction."_

"But I _know_ I'm not going to change!" she shouted. "I'm a hero, not a villain! I fight to protect the innocent, not the other way around!"

_"Who's to say you won't be controlled? Diana, there are humans out there intelligent enough to place a chip on you, and this could spell the end of them."_

"My friends won't let me destroy the world," she insisted. Clark could see the uncertain look in her eyes as she spoke. Hera' words were starting to get to her…

_"They don't care about you. You're just worthless material hanging around them. They're the real heroes—you're just a bystander."_

"You're lying…"

_"I'm not. I have proof of how everyone hates you. If they cared so much about you, how come nobody came to you when you were visibly troubled?"_

"Hardly anyone knew that! Those who did I pushed away!"

_"Why did you push them away?"_

"I didn't want them to become involved in my problems!"

_"If they were true friends, they would've kept coming back, no matter what you said. They didn't want to help you. They just did it because they felt as if they had to."_

"No!"

_"It is true. Face it, Diana, you're nothing to everyone. The entire world doesn't want you. You're all alone."_

Donna's hands trembled even more.

"Even if I don't have friends, I still have Donna! That's all that matters!"

_"…You sad, pathetic little thing. Donna only took pity on you just like the rest of them. Why do you think she often got into fights with you when you found her after ten years? She hates you just as much as they do. The fights were her way of showing it."_

Clark watched as Diana fell to her knees, wrapping her arms around her shaking body. "Stop," she nearly whispered. "I don't want to hear any more of this."

_"I'm merely stating the truth. You've been faced behind a wall of lies all your life; it's time to face the facts and embrace the reality of the situation. Nobody cares for you, Diana. Nobody would care if you were to die right here and now in a sea of nothing. They wouldn't even bother to look for you."_

"I'm…"

_"You're alone in this world. It's you against them, and they're winning."_

"I'm…"

_"You're trapped. You're trapped under everyone's hatred of you. They see you as worthless and useless. They don't care for you."_

"I'm…nothing…"

* * *

"No! Diana, don't listen to her!" Donna cried, pounding on the bars of the cage they were in. "It's Hera! She's trying to get you to break!"

Clark looked ahead solemnly. Diana had collapsed onto the ground, her usually bright blue eyes now half-lidded and dull. She had silent tears creeping out of her eyes, falling to the darkness that was the ground. She still shook, and it scared him. Her body was still gravely injured. Even more than that, he wanted to convince her that everything Hera said was a lie, that she _did_ have friends that cared for him. But he was in a cage that was completely made of magic. There was nothing neither he nor Donna could do.

"Stop," he said to Donna, earning himself a glare from the younger demigoddess. "There's no point in doing that. She can't see or hear us."

She turned to face him, her hands forming fists. "So what, you're just going to give up? You're just going to let my sister believe that the entire world hates her? Can't you see that she's nearly at the end of her wits?"

Clark stayed calm despite Donna's shouting. "I'm not giving up on her. I'm _never_ going to give up, but first we have to get out of this cage first. I'm vulnerable to magic, and the bars are too strong for you to break…wait a minute…"

"What is it?"

He went over to her, grabbing her wrists. "Take off your bracers. Use your father's energy to break through the cage. This is Hera's magic; his power overrides hers. His power is in _you_."

She slowly shook her head. "I…I can't. Clark, you've seen how Diana turned out when she left her bracers off for too long. Combined with her anger, she literally killed herself. I'm just as angry as she was, and my own strength is significantly weaker than hers. To add his power to it…I'm just asking for death."

"You can control yours," Clark said. "Diana hasn't a chance to attempt to because she's afraid of what would happen should she go through with it. But you have. Many times you've sparred with her while under your father's strength. Your body can withstand it much longer than hers can." His hands tightened around her bracers. "Donna, just _try_."

Donna took a deep, nodding in understanding. She slowly slipped out of the bracers, gasping at the somewhat familiar rush of power from no longer having any restraints holding her back. Her eyes began to glow white as small bolts of lightning emerged. Looking to Clark, she went over to the side of the cage and gripped the bars in her hands. Summoning all of her power, she began to pull.

"That's it! You're doing it!" Clark cheered on. He watched Donna's body with his x-ray vision to make sure that she didn't strain her body too much. Her health was more important than getting out of the cage despite everything else.

Donna groaned, gritting her teeth together as she pulled with all of her might on the bars. She could feel her heart beating faster to support the massive pressure she was putting on her body and made sure that she didn't push herself any more than she had to. The last thing she wanted was to escape while in a similar state to what Diana was currently in.

The bars finally began to give way underneath Donna's grip. Hearing it encouraged her to keep going, and soon enough they broke. She flew into the other side of the cage, breathing heavily. She panted heavily, smiling lazily up at Clark. "I did it," she wheezed.

He helped her up. "You did," he smiled back. He helped her put the bracers back on and caught her when she started to fall. "Easy now, Donna. You just took off a lot of energy. Just relax."

They stepped out of the cage, going to where Diana was lying. She had never moved from her spot. "Di, it's me," Clark said gently, reaching down to touch her arm.

He went straight through her.

"Damn!" he cursed, backing away angrily. In his rush, he'd forgotten that Diana doesn't even know that they were there.

"What are we going to do now?" Donna asked, still breathing heavily. To Clark's eyes, she looked ready to pass out at any given moment.

He had no idea. For the first time since this entire thing started, he felt helpless. What _could_ he do now? He hadn't a clue on where they were even was, let alone how to get out of it. From the look on Donna's face, she had no idea, either. What was going to happen to them?

Suddenly, a streak of lightning and a loud thunderclap shook them. An unknown wind started to blow, forcing Donna and Clark to close their eyes. They opened them again when it died down and noticed a soft glow in front of them.

Clark and Donna gasped in unison as they stared at what had made the noise and wind. There was no mistaking the pale skin, large sword, and hair pulled back. Even more unmistakable was the lightning eyes the figure had. "It's…"

_"Zeus."_

* * *

A/N: So, Zeus finally makes an appearance in this story. I promise you, it's for the better.

So, I broke Diana even further Will it last? Not for long, hopefully. She's going to have a hard time along the way, though.

Please review!


	11. Pushed Beyond Limits

Well, here's the next chapter! Enjoy!

* * *

Clark stared at the king of the gods standing before him. Although he didn't know much about the Greek gods—in fact only knowing because of Diana and Donna's upbringing—he knew that Zeus was the more important of them, and merely being in his presence sent chills up his spine.

"About time you've showed up," Donna hissed, leaning against Clark for support. She was still weakened from earlier, yet had no thought of rest now.

"I'm sorry it's taken me so long to realize," Zeus said in genuine concern. It was something rare for Donna to see, Clark noticed, judging how skeptical she looked. The little he did know about Zeus was that he had a _lot_ of demigod children and did absolutely nothing for them, save for a few. To see him with a serious and look on his face now confused her.

"Are you actually worried about Diana?" she asked, glancing down at her sister.

"Yes, I am. You and Diana are my youngest children, and you two are unique from your other siblings. Majority of them tried to conquer vast areas of the world because of their power, and I had to intervene. But you two are _protecting_ the world instead of _hurting_ it."

With that, his eyes glowed more as he broke the spell cast upon Clark and Donna. Immediately they knelt down, Clark pulling Diana into her arms. "Di, it's me," he whispered softly, brushing away the strands of hair in her face.

Diana didn't glance up, the tears falling harder. "You hate me…I'm nothing to you…leave me here…"

"No. I don't hate you and I'm certainly not going to leave you here." He picked her up, cradling her body gently. Turning to Zeus, he said, "Where are we?"

"We're in Hera's oblivion. It's where she stores the evil gods and villains that come across her. Under normal circumstances they'd go insane within a week because of the absolute nothingness of this place. Once that happens, they slowly begin to die."

"So Hera placed us in here to make us go crazy?" Donna asked.

Zeus shook his head. "From what I found out, she was only intending to do this to Diana, and the moment it was certified that she was completely broken beyond repair, she would have let you go." He gave Diana a somber glance. "She's nearly there as we speak. Another hour with nothing but her conniving thoughts would have done it. Besides, she's already seriously injured. Her fragile state can't take much more of it, mental or physical."

Clark tightened his grip on Diana unconsciously. "Can you heal her?"

"No, I can't. I may be able to predominate Hera's power, but Diana brought the physical injuries upon herself. Yes, it's my power inside of her, but as you can see her bracers are gone. She's still under my influence. It's bad enough as it is, and trying to add more of my energy inside of her can cause her body to shut down completely."

Donna frowned. "So I'm assuming that because we're in here Diana's powers are being suppressed by Hera while ours are not, hence the reason why I was able to get us out of the cage. But what will happen when we get out of here?"

Zeus motioned for Clark to hand him Diana. Reluctantly, he did. "Although any internal addition of power may cause a rebound, external addition won't. I can use my energy to negate hers and cause a temporary balance. She will be protected until then."

His eyes glowed stronger once more as the darkness around them began to grow color and shapes. Soon enough, they were in the Twelve Olympian's home.

Donna gasped. "We're in _Olympus_!"

Zeus nodded. "This is my home, as you know." He began to walk. "Come, we have much to do before my wife returns. I want to get as much done before she finds out I am helping you."

Clark gave him a look. "Hera doesn't know you're here? Are you _afraid_ of her?"

The god made a noise between a snort and a laugh. "Heavens no. Why would I fear my wife? She is _under_ me. I want to do as much as possible before she comes back because then she will try everything in her power to ruin my efforts. While they are not effective in the most, they can cause distractions and possibly cause everything to backfire."

Clark and Donna stayed quiet the rest of the way, following Zeus to a large room, closing the door behind them. A single bed and a large closet were the only things occupying the inside. Zeus placed Diana on the bed and moved away, going to the closet. After pulling out a jar that contained a glowing blue orb, he returned. "Superman, I want you to hold Diana while this absorbs into her," he said.

Clark cradled Diana's upper body in his arms. "Will it hurt her?" he asked.

"Yes. This will heal any damaged tissue and other injuries in her body, but the process of it is long and painful. She must be as still as possible to not prolong the duration it will take."

The three of them suddenly heard a soft whisper, "Pointless…should just let me die…no one cares…"

Donna knelt down enough so that she was facing Diana. "It's not pointless. Listen, it was Hera that did this to you. She put a spell on you to make everything we said to you sound the opposite of what was said. She was the one that was saying those things to you in the darkness. Ignore her, we're here now."

Diana glanced up slightly. "She was right…I'm nothing…worthless…"

"You're not worthless, Di. We're here. We've always been here, even when it seemed like we weren't. We're going to help you."

"Shouldn't…pointless…"

Zeus opened the jar, holding it upside down over Diana's abdomen. The blue orb landed on her stomach, seemingly melting into her skin. Moments passed before anything happened, and then a loud, bloodcurdling scream pierced the air.

Clark strengthened his grip on Diana, whispering into her ear. "I know it hurts now, but you have to keep as still as possible, or it will only hurt more. Just relax…"

She continued to scream, writhing in agony. Her arms thrashed around as she tried to break out of Clark's grip. "Let me go!" she screamed.

He said nothing, silently holding her down. Her screams of pain were bad enough, but watching her took it to a new level.

Ten minutes passed before Diana finally started to calm down, gasping for air. She went limp in Clark's arms as she weakly glanced up at Zeus. It took her a moment to speak, "Like I said, you should've left me there to die. There was no point in healing me, even though it felt like the complete opposite."

"Diana, the world needs someone like you. You're a heroine on a mission for world peace and harmony. You represent the innocence and purity of a human…"

Diana suddenly stood up, glaring at Zeus. "Don't even _say_ that! I'm not fully human! I'm _half_-human! I have your blood running through my veins! I'm not like the people of Earth! My power alone is enough to dominate the entire planet if I ever chose to!"

"But would you?"

She blinked, taken aback by the question. "Never! I would never even _try_ to bring harm to the human race! I'm here to _protect _them from those that would try to!"

Zeus smiled warmly. "That's why I want to help you. You two are opposite of the vast majority of my other children. You bring light to the darkness of the world. You give others hope instead of fear. You bring joy instead of sorrow."

Donna frowned. "Why all of this time you ignored us, then? You paid us no attention at all until recently."

"Hippolyta refrained from telling me that she had blessed me with two more children. I, along with the rest of the gods, thought that you two were magically created, she from clay and you from her image of a mirror. To be honest, though, if I had known, I most likely would have stayed this way. I would have assumed that you two were only mere additions to my list of children, but now I see that I was wrong. You're _more_ than that."

Diana started walking away, clenching her hands into fists. "Save it, Zeus. I thank you for healing me, but that's as far as it goes. Anything else I don't want to hear."

The moment the door closed, Clark turned to Zeus. "She's still bitter about you being her father, isn't she?"

Zeus nodded. "I do not blame her. I came into her life when she was a full-grown adult, and I was nothing like I am now. I was aloof and ignorant because I judged her too quickly. Donna accepted me quicker and more easily because of her being an orphan for ten years and not being around what she had to go through her entire life."

"What did she have to go through?" Clark asked.

"She had to go through being different from everyone else. While every other child was naturally born, Diana had the impression that she was created from clay, and therefore technically an artificial human. They would call her 'Clay', and Donna would be called 'Mirror' because of the belief that she was Diana's mirror image. When Donna 'died' they became harsher and colder to Diana, seeing that she was now the only considered outsider from everyone else. If she had me back then she wouldn't have had as hard a time. Finding out she was actually like everyone else—minus the fact that her father is king of the gods—only made her finding out more painful."

Clark was surprised by Zeus confiding in him so quickly. They hadn't even known each other for a day, yet he was answering every question he had. "That's rough. I understand how it is to be an outsider, though."

Another smile appeared on Zeus' face. "I know. You are Superman, the world's greatest hero. I've learned that you are not from here, but from a planet known as Krypton that exploded when you were a mere infant."

Well, Zeus was more on top of things than Clark thought. "That's right. So I understand how it feels to be different from everyone else. I'm an alien from another planet, and she's a demigoddess from an island of all women."

Donna glared at both of them. "So what does that make me?"

"Not to be rude, Donna, but you've lived in the States for ten years. You have more experience than Diana does…"

A scream cut Clark off. The three of them turned to the door, Clark looking through it. It was a far distance away, but he saw Hera in the distance, her eyes a distinct golden color. _That's not a good sign,_ he thought.

A moment later the three of them were zooming towards the spot and saw Diana lying in a mountain of debris, struggling to get back up. "Hera! What did you do to her?" Clark demanded.

Hera growled at him. "You! How did you manage to get out of there? I had you in a cage! Even if you managed to escape that, all you would've been in was oblivion!"

Zeus stepped forward. "Hera, I helped them. You are doing too much to destroy Diana's life. Can't you see that you're hurting her?"

"That's my intention! That bastard deserves to be as miserable as possible! She's _your_ child!"

"I've done _nothing_ to you!" Diana suddenly screamed from the pile, back on her feet. She quickly stood where they were. "All my life I respected you, worshiped you, and honored you! All my life I did nothing but give you adoration! I was your champion! The moment you found out I was a part of your family you turned against me instead of embracing me!"

Hera moved so that she was face to face with Diana. "You just don't get it, do you? You're my _husband's _child! Ares, Eris, and Hephaestus are my children! You are not!"

"So you make me miserable for your husband's mistake?"

"_Yes!_ You have no right to be here! You're just as useless as a normal human! There is nobody that would _ever_ want to love you!"

Clark noticed a sudden dark, feral look in Diana's eyes. Something inside of her snapped. She gritted her teeth together as her eyes suddenly lit up. Then, without warning, she charged at Hera.

"_I'll kill you!_"

* * *

A/N: And there you have it. Looks like Diana's been pushed _way_ beyond her normal limits. Will she actually manage to kill a _god_?

Find out in the next chapter! Please review!


	12. Silver Lining

I'm on a roll here! This is what, the fourth chapter in a week? Yeah!

* * *

Diana collided with Hera, pushing the goddess with all of her strength. Before they crashed into a wall she noticed the colors of the room fade into black and realized that they were back in Hera's "oblivion". It was just her and Hera now. She anticipated the fight and charged her energy, a lightning aura surrounding her in the process.

Hera knocked Diana away, growling at the demigoddess. "You fool! You think you can overpower me, the Queen of the Gods?"

"I can and I will! I've had enough of you!"

Diana threw a punch at Hera's face, which she dodged. "If you think it will be easy, you are sadly mistaken! I may be a queen, but several thousand years gives me a lot of time to practice just about anything!"

"Is that so? Show me then, you treacherous witch! Show me just how much you've practiced!"

The two women charged at each other, grabbing the other's fist. At that moment Hera knew that she could never overpower Diana physically, even though she was more powerful. The demigoddess had specified in being a warrior first, person second all her life, and now under her rage again she was showing it.

As Diana kicked her, a smirk made its way on the goddess' face. Diana was once again tapping into her father's powers. Zeus had used the blue orb to heal her, but what she didn't know was that it stopped all immediate injuries, such as being on the verge of a physical breakdown. She still had injuries, such as tired and strained muscles, and going into another berserker rage would only bring her death once more.

"You're so worthless, you bastard child. I can see why my husband never bothered to accept you as his child; you're as weak as those humans you reside with. The humans won't accept you, your metahuman friends won't accept you, not even the_ gods_ you worship will accept you!"

Her smirk grew. Diana was getting visibly frustrated, and although she didn't have x-ray vision like Clark, she could pinpoint any more injuries the demigoddess gave herself by watching her outward appearance and movements. Right now she was swaying side to side slightly, which indicated that her heart was pumping fast again to support her body's use of the sudden significant increase of power. Diana's anger was slowly building again, and soon she'd be as bad off as she was before. Her heart was already weak enough as it was.

_That's right, you Amazon brute,_ Hera thought as Diana charged at her again. _Keep trying to hurt me. I can't die, but you can…_

"I'm tired of listening to you speak!" Diana cried, catching Hera's jaw in another punch. "From now on, let's fight!"

_You wish…_"I only speak the truth, Diana. You're useless than everyone else. There are others that surpass you. Superman is stronger than you in every way. You're not needed."

Diana growled darkly. "Shut up! Do not compare me to Clark!"

_Clark? I thought she called him Kal,_ Hera laughed in her mind. _Oh, I'm getting to her faster than I thought…_

The two went at it for a while, Hera proving to be a worthy opponent. Although stronger in power, Diana was clearly a more of a strategist and countered every single kick or punch she threw.

Just when Hera was starting to have doubts, Diana coughed, causing a single trickle of blood to come up. Her breaths were starting to come out raspy and shallow, her skin once again reddening from the increased blood flow to allow her body to function. _If only she knew that she didn't have to breathe,_ Hera thought, chuckling to herself. It would only make the pain worse, which was something she was aiming for.

Diana tried to rush at Hera again, but the goddess knew that she was physically incapable of doing much anymore. She fell to her knees, more blood dripping from her mouth. "W-what's wrong with me?" she gasped. "I was just healed!"

Hera shook her head, grabbing the demigoddess by her neck and lifting her up to her eye level. "The orb healed you from immediate danger, Diana. If you were to be on the verge of dying, it would stop that from happening but not heal every single injury you have. You had a heart attack earlier, and your heart was already weak from your previous actions. You only made it worse, and this time you can't go all out unless you want to die and _stay_ that way."

She saw the look of defeat in Diana's eyes and cackled in triumph. Raising her hand, a sword appeared. "I want you to die by my hands and my hands only! This is the end for you!"

At the last possible second, Diana moved her arm to smack Hera's away, getting her to pierce her shoulder instead of her chest. Hera shouted in anger at the missed aim and hastily drew the sword out, taking comfort in the scream of anguish Diana gave off. She managed to force it all the way through her shoulder, but surprisingly missed any major arteries.

Hera threw Diana to the ground, placing a foot on her stomach. She positioned the sword in the air right over her heart. "This time, I _won't_ miss!"

In a sudden rush of energy, Diana grabbed the blade of the sword with her good hand, crushing it in her grip. _This isn't good,_ Hera thought as she quickly jumped away. _Despite her weak form she's still resisting! If she was able to crush her bracers, then she can crush anything!_

With that thought, she saw Diana struggle to stand again, clutching her bleeding wound. Pain was something the demigoddess wasn't accustomed to, Hera realized as another sneer made its way onto her face. Her eyes glowed even stronger, showing that she was desperately trying to raise her power to support herself. But in her fragile state she failed to realize that she was only speeding up the process of breakdown. _So close…_

Laughing, Hera sauntered over to Diana, kneeling down. She pushed Diana's head up with a finger. "You're so pathetic," she taunted. "You can't even save your own self from harm. What good would you do for the rest of the world? What would they do if they no longer had you? Nothing would change, I'm afraid. They would still have a Justice League, only much more improved due to your absence."

"I…shut up…"

_She's giving up._ "Once again, I only merely state the truth. Just think about it, Diana. You're the universe's most powerful female, second only to Superman, and it's because of the fact that he's been at this longer than you have. In your rage you tend to shift to a more barbaric tone of battle, using your fists instead of your mind. That's why your body is starting to work against you; you've always locked your father's powers away deep within your body, and any use of it now eats away at you because of your body not changing to withstand it." She sighed mockingly. "Oh, you're just granting the world's wish to never see you again. They all want you dead, and you're pushing yourself to that."

Hera ran a hand through Diana's hair, watching the heroine intently. She was clearly starting to give in to the goddess' words, her eyes glowing dimmer now. "Maybe you're right…"

"You know I am." Diana's breaths were becoming more and more ragged as her eyes' glow started to fade, her lightning aura diminishing as well. Hera was slowly counting down in her mind, _That's it, just a little more…_

_BOOOOOM!_

Hera cried out in anger and frustration as Diana was suddenly lifted away. She glanced up to see Zeus, Donna, and Clark standing in front of her, Zeus cradling Diana in his arms. "Hera, you have gone _too_ far!" he shouted, unmistakably angry. "How dare you try to end her life? She's important to the human race and those that cares about her!"

"Do you think I care about that? She's _your_ daughter, Zeus! She's _your_ blood! You're _my_ husband!"

"So you take your anger out on someone innocent?"

"How is she innocent? She's here, isn't she?"

Zeus glared. "She never asked to be here! She is just trying to do what is best for mankind!"

He then pulled out two metallic cylinders—two bracers. Slipping them on Diana's wrists, she gasped as her father's energy was quelled and, suddenly devoid of willpower and strength, passed out from exhaustion.

Zeus tightened his grip on Diana as his glare intensified. "Hera, I will speak with you later. For now, I must attend to Diana. You've done a number on her." As he started to disappear he added, "Be ready for severe punishment. Goddess or not, you crossed a line, and you _will_ suffer dearly for it."

* * *

The moment they returned to Olympus Zeus focused all of his attention on his elder daughter. She was mentally and physically exhausted, which led to her passing out. Once again they were in the room with the single bed and closet. "Superman, Donna, I need you two to leave the room," he said.

They nodded and left. Zeus turned back to Diana, running his eyes over her body. The shoulder wound was still bleeding heavily… "She did manage to hit the artery," he muttered to himself, clenching his hands in anger. At first glance it would appear the opposite, but with his eyes he saw the main artery in her shoulder cut halfway through. That was not a good sign.

Rushing over to the closet, he pulled out another jar that contained a blue orb. Its effects were weaker than the first one and hence would cause a less duration of pain but less healing. He let the orb melt into her skin and quickly wrapped his arms around her to prevent as much struggle as possible. Despite being unconscious, she screamed in anguish, struggling to break free of Zeus' grip.

In half of the time of before, the orb's effects ceased, and Diana stopped moving. Her blue eyes fluttered open to meet Zeus' pure white ones. A moment later, she disgustedly rushed out of his arms, getting to her feet. "I'm getting tired of having to see you," she spat.

Zeus sighed. He knew that this day would come. "I only wanted to help you," he said. "You were on the brink of death again. I only pulled you away from it."

"You should have just let me die. No one would care if I did. I'm nothing to them. I'm nothing to you. I'm just another human with your blood running through me."

Zeus' eyes widened at his daughter's words. Just what did Hera _do_ to her? "Diana, _everyone_ would care. Superman would care, Donna would care, the entire world would care…_I_ would care. You mean so much more to everyone than you think you do."

She glared at him. "You say that now, but would you have said this ten years ago when I needed you most? I know you had no idea I was yours then, but I know you watched over Themyscira constantly because of your ties with my mother. When Donna was believed to have died, I was alone, so alone from everyone else. They would call me 'Clay' because of my mythical origin, and I longed to be able to claim I had a mother and father conceive me instead of wish for me. All my life I had to deal with loneliness and longing…" She took a deep breath to calm herself down. "And now that I finally can, my mother is gone. Hera turned the Amazons into snakes and my mother into clay as a mockery to what she had believed all these years."

"I know," Zeus said softly. That was one spell he just couldn't reverse. Despite being higher than Hera, there were some spells and magic only she knew of, and that was one of them. "I'm sorry I can't reverse the spell, but I promise you I will get Hera to bring your mother and Amazon sisters back."

He saw Diana tense. "…Why are you being so kind to me now?" she demanded. A look of anger suddenly made its way onto her face. "Oh, I get it, it's because you see that I actually have potential to be as strong as a god that you want to make sure I stay beneath you, isn't it? You don't want me to be as powerful as you, so you're trying to be a father figure to me now in order to keep me in check!"

Zeus shook his head. "Diana…"

"No! Save it! All I've been through these past few months is nothing but pain and suffering! Just when I thought that things were starting to get better, that I could finally be happy, the gods decide to intervene and make it worse! What did I do wrong? What did I do to deserve this?"

"It's because you're my child…"

"I never asked to be _born_!" Diana was crying now, which surprised Zeus. He knew that she believed that tears were a sign of weakness, which was something she wasn't. "I never asked to be your child! I never asked to be here! I never asked to be a demigoddess! It's your fault that I was created, so why do _I _have to pay for _your_ mistakes?"

Zeus was shocked. Never before had he seen Diana in such a vulnerable state. It was sometimes hard to remember that she was still human, or at least had human emotions. From the time she was little she was trained to be a warrior that saw emotions as a distraction and unneeded in order to survive. But years of hurt and sorrow were starting to be too much for her, and he understood clearly.

Slowly, he pulled her into a hug, knowing that the action caught Diana by surprise by her gasp. "It's alright," he whispered soothingly into her ear, stroking her hair gently. "I know I wasn't there for you before, but I'm here now, and I'm going to be here for you and your sister. You'll never be alone again, I promise. I'm never going to leave you alone again."

He watched her as she struggled to contain her tears, but it was a losing battle, and her silent cry soon became a heart wrenching sob as she cried into his chest, finally releasing all of her sorrow that had built up starting from when Donna "died" to that very moment.

Zeus held onto Diana tightly, comforting her. He told her that he was going to be there for her, and he meant it. He was finally going to be her father. _And she's going to be my daughter,_ he thought with a smile.

* * *

A/N: I think I broke my own heart writing this...

Anyway, this is one of my favorite chapters. I've shown Zeus as a man willingly wanting to know his child better than the cruel, cold-hearted god usually protrayed in fanfiction. My stories come with a happy ending :)

Please review!


	13. Happy Endings

Hey! Guess what? This is the last chapter! Enjoy!

* * *

Zeus continued to hold Diana as she cried into him, pouring out all of her sorrow and pain into the open. He still ran his fingers through her hair, which seemed to comfort her. Despite being the father of many, many children, actually treating them like they were his were moments that was few and far in between, and thus he had little experience in comforting one when they needed a parent. Though by the way she was clinging to him, it seemed that he was doing a decent job at it.

She cried for a long time. Zeus then began to realize how much time could actually mean to a person. While he was thousands of years old, she was merely twenty-three, still a child in his eyes. She had gone through a lot since she was born, from being treated differently on her own island to finding out that she was a demigoddess and had to deal with Hera the past few months.

He growled mentally. His wife was going to pay dearly for tormenting Diana. It was not her fault that he and Hippolyta had many nights of intimacy behind Hera's back. Yes, she was the result of it, but in her own words, she didn't _ask_ to be born, yet she had to pay for _his_ mistakes. It wasn't fair to her. All this time she endured Hera's wrath just because she was an Amazon; they had an enormous amount of pride, and it took a _lot_ to shatter it. Just look at how long it took for Diana to finally crack.

If anything, she _deserved_ this moment of relief.

By the time Diana had managed to calm down, he knew that she was nowhere _near_ done. Her eyes, glassy from crying, were still full of misery. He lifted her head up by placing a hand under her chin. "Why did you stop?" he asked.

She glared weakly. "I'm an Amazon princess and warrior. I do not need to be coddled, especially by you."

"Diana, I am not coddling you. I am merely helping you grieve."

Not to his surprise, she pulled away from his grip, taking a few steps away from him. "You're coddling me. Holding me as if I were an infant is coddling."

"Holding you while you cry is not coddling, it's helping you feel better. You obviously have never had a father figure in your life, and I know Hippolyta has treated you like an adult since you were thirteen. I understand that this is a foreign concept for you, but you are not made of stone. You are not impervious to feelings…"

"Like that makes a difference. I have been on my own since I was a child. I have been treated like a warrior since I could walk." Diana turned around and started to walk towards the door. "I don't need to hear this."

Zeus grabbed her wrist. "Diana, I understand everything you are going through, but listen to me. You have gone through losing your only sister, years of alienation on your own island, finding out your true heritage, losing your mother and Amazon sisters, and finally this with Hera and Superman. It helps to cry, weakness or not."

When he realized that she hadn't tried to pull her arm free he stood up, placing a hand on her shoulder. "What I am trying to say is, yes, it hurts to show that you're vulnerable, but it hurts even more to not allow that moment every once in a while."

Her shoulders started to tremble. "…Shut up…twenty-three years, and now you want to be a father to me? You've known for a few months now, yet now you decide to make an appearance?"

"I told you before that I categorized you and your sister as like the rest of my children. I never thought that you two would be different, but you managed to prove me wrong. I am truly sorry for not being there during the time Hera was tormenting you. If I could, I would reverse everything she had done to you, but even I can't do that."

He heard Diana take a deep breath. "I know…I know…"

He pulled her into another hug. "It's okay to cry, Diana. I'm here now, and I will always be here now. Hera or any other god is never going to harm you like that again. I promise."

She wept for a long time afterwards.

* * *

"Hera, you are being punished for the acts you've committed upon Diana and her friends," Zeus said, glaring down at his wife from his chair. A single lightning bolt glistened in his hand.

"You've made my daughter, Diana, and her friends suffer for months because of your jealousy from my infidelity. You know better than to intervene and ruin their life because of someone else's mistakes, and for that you _will_ pay."

Hera merely avoided eye contact.

Zeus glanced to his side. Standing close by was Diana, who was standing in a professional manner beside him. Her expression was unreadable, but her eyes shown with a light that had been missing for months, and the thought of it finally being back made a smile appear on the King's lips.

"You do understand the punishment you will have to carry out, right?"

The goddess shook her head.

Zeus almost smirked. "Your punishment is to serve my brother, Hades, as his wife for the next thousand years."

The look on Hera's face made his smirk widen even more. "What? You can't do that to me! I'm your wife! You _need_ me!"

"I do not." A portal opened behind Hera as a huge pale hand reached out of it. "We made an agreement, and he said he'd be more than happy to have some company with him. He's very lonely, after all."

"No! Zeus, please, I'm sorry!" Hera cried.

Zeus shook his head. "No. This is the price you're paying for torturing my daughter. Now, try not to have _too_ much fun with my brother."

The hand wrapped its fingers around Hera as she thrashed around, still begging to be forgiven. It continued until she was pulled into the portal, and shortly afterwards it closed and disappeared.

Zeus flashed Diana a smile. "Like I said, she won't bother you anymore."

Diana's expression mirrored her father's. "I see. Thank you."

"You are quite welcome. Now, go be happy. I'll be watching over you." Just saying that to her visibly made her happy, for her eyes lit up even more.

"Heh, I don't know what to say…"

"You don't have to say anything, daughter. I know you're still new to this…"

He was caught off guard with a hug.

Zeus blinked. He had suspected to see her simply walk off, but to feel her hug him willingly surprised him. It took him a moment to respond by wrapping his arms around her.

She pulled away a minute later. "Honestly, I don't know how to thank you for this, _all_ of this. This is the first time I've been happy in months."

Another smile appeared on the god's face. "It is my pleasure. You deserve to be happy, demigoddess or not. You're a hero to Earth, their hope, their tomorrow. You deserve all of the happiness of the world." He opened a portal that led to Earth. "Now, go, be happy."

Diana walked through the portal, beaming. "I will."

* * *

Clark knocked on the window door outside of a hotel in London. "Are you sure this is the place?" Lois whispered in his ear.

He nodded. "I'm sure. I can see her through the wall."

A moment later, the door opened, revealing Diana wearing nothing but a black nightgown. Her eyes immediately brightened at the sight of Clark, but then darkened when she noticed Lois on his back. "Hello," she nearly whispered.

Clark smiled. "Don't worry, it's not what you think. May we come in?"

Diana stepped aside. "Of course."

Clark floated inside, closing the door behind him. He let Lois climb down off of his back and turned to face Diana, who was gazing at him curiously. "Is there something wrong?" she asked.

"No, not at all." His smile broadened. "In fact, I've come here to tell you some good news. Lois is no longer under Hera's control. She's her own person again."

"Really? That's great, Lois," Diana said. Clark could see that she was wondering why he had brought Lois with him.

Before he could say anything, Lois did. "Diana, I…I came here to apologize," she nearly whispered.

"Apologize?" Diana blinked. "You know what happened?"

Lois nodded. "Yes, and I'm terribly sorry about it. You didn't deserve to go through that. Hera possessed me and made me say and do all of those things to you. And I never should have kept Clark away from you."

Once again Diana was caught by surprise. "What?"

Clark nodded. "After returning to Earth, Lois and I had a long talk. She understands everything, and we made the decision—I'm no longer engaged to her."

"I never meant to, anyway," Lois added. "I'm only friends with Smallville. It was Hera that had forced him into it from the beginning."

Clark turned to Diana, who had a look of shock on her face. It soon morphed into a grin as she and Clark locked on each other's eyes. "Kal," she said, tears of happiness spiking her eyes. "You have no idea how happy I…"

He put a hand around her waist and pulled her closer. "I know."

Diana giggled from the contact as their heads slowly inched closer. As their lips met, both metahumans felt as if a huge weight was lifted off of them. _This_ was it.

_This_ was happiness.

* * *

Yes, cheesy, I know, but what can I say? I love happy endings, even if they're lame.

I'm making a sequel to this. I don't know the title yet, but it's going to be centered around Clark and Diana's child. I promise it'll be up soon.

Thanks for all that read my story! You were awesome!


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